AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-005
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:
* NASA Digital Learning Network Special Opportunity * Winter Issue of AMSAT-UK OSCAR News Available * Hillbilly Tracking for Low Earth Orbit Satellites * High Resolution Data available on FUNcube Data Warehouse * Call for Papers for the AMSAT-SA Space Symposium * OPDX Interview With ND9M.VQ9JC Diego Garcia * AMSAT Representatives Requested for Vienna Wireless Society Hamfest * ARISS News - TBD * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-005.01 ANS-005 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 005.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 5, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-005.01
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NASA Digital Learning Network Special Opportunity
***Special Opportunity*** Would you like to have your class participate in an interactive webcast with an astronaut? NASA invites students and teachers to an inside look at America's Spaceport at 2:30pm ET on January 31st. Four schools (target audience grades 5-9) will have the special opportunity to connect directly and ask questions of astronaut and Director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center Bob Cabana. Learn about his education and training, living and working in space, and the future of space exploration. All other schools may participate by watching the web stream athttp://dln.nasa.gov. Email rachel.b.power@nasa.gov for more information.
[ANS thanks NASA for the above announcement]
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Winter Issue of AMSAT-UK OSCAR News Available
E-members of AMSAT-UK can now download the PDF of the Winter edition of the OSCAR News magazine here (as well as previous 2013 and 2012 issues).
The paper edition should be posted to members soon.
In this issue • FUNcube-1 Operations Report • FunCube Dongle Pro+ V2.0 on Shortwave • The Fun-Loop • Space Science at Someries Junior School • A newcomers view of satellite operating • UKube-1, ESEO, QB50pc1 – Update • Low Cost DVB-S Receivers Suitable For HAMTV • HAMTV Reception • FUNcube-1 – The Launch – A Personal Account • IET/RSGB Joint Meeting • $50SAT a low cost amateur radio satellite • Shorts
The AMSAT-UK Membership year lasts for 12 months starting on January 1 each year.
Membership of AMSAT-UK is open to anyone who has an interest in amateur radio satellites or space activities, including the International Space Station (ISS).
E-members of AMSAT-UK are able to download OSCAR News as a convenient PDF that can be read on laptops, tablets or smartphones anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Join as an E-member at Electronic (PDF) E-membership
There are two rates for the paper edition to cover the extra postage costs: UK Rest of the World (Overseas)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Hillbilly Tracking for Low Earth Orbit Satellites
In a video, Travis Goodspeed KK4VCZ describes his Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite tracking system to the 30th Chaos Computer Congress which took place December 27-30, 2013 at the Congress Center Hamburg in Germany.
The YouTube description reads:
Satellites in Low Earth Orbit have tons of nifty signals, but they move quickly though the sky and are difficult to track with fine accuracy. This lecture describes a remotely operable satellite tracking system that the author built from a Navy-surplus Inmarsat dish in Southern Appalachia.
The entire system is controlled through a Postgres database, fed by various daemons spread across multiple machines. So when I click on a satellite on my laptop or cellphone, it runs “UPDATE target SET name=’Voyager 1?;” and the motor daemon then begins to track the new target while the prediction daemon maintains accurate estimates of its position in the sky.
Additional daemons take spectral prints or software-defined radio recordings of the targeted object for later review.
There is a description of the system on Travis Goodspeed’s Blog at http://travisgoodspeed.blogspot.co.uk/
Other 30c3 videos available at http://www.youtube.com/user/albertveli/videos
30th Chaos Computer Congress https://events.ccc.de/congress/2013/wiki/Main_Page
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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High Resolution Data available on FUNcube Data Warehouse
As promised, we are making the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) CubeSat High Resolution Data available for download from the Data Warehouse.
It contains Hi-Res data generated every hour, on the hour for the 60 minutes preceding the extract.
Please note that unlike the Whole Orbit Data, the Hi-Res data may be incomplete (have significant gaps) because of a lack of ground stations on the ground track.
Now that we have the WOD and Hi-Res extracts working, we are going to move on to the RealTime extract.
Please provide any feedback on the FUNcube forum.
73 and Happy New Year,
Dave, G4DPZ
FUNcube-1 High Resolution Data https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/highres.html?satelliteId=2
Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/
Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Call for Papers for the AMSAT-SA Space Symposium
SA AMSAT has announced that its annual Space Communication symposium will be held on Saturday 24 May 2014 at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria. Proposals for papers are now called for. Submit a brief overview of the planned paper by 15 March 2014 to saamsat@intekom.co.za. Authors will be advised of the acceptance of their paper by 31 March. The final written paper will be requited by 30 April and PowerPoint presentation by 15 May. Please also include a short CV and a photograph of your self.
Registration for the symposium will open on 1 February. Follow details of www.amsatsa.org.za.
[ANS thanks SARL News for Sunday, December 29, 2013 for the above information]
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OPDX Interview With ND9M.VQ9JC Diego Garcia
(Here is an interview from the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin with Jim Clary, ND9M, known for his amateur radio and amateur satellite operation from Diego Garcia, and maritime mobile operation. - ANS Ed.)
VQ9, CHAGOS (Update). Last week we reported that Jim, ND9M, is once again active as VQ9JC from Diego Garcia. Jim informed OPDX that he arrived on the island a month ago, but he had to get his license renewed; it expired a couple days before he landed.
Jim states, "Normally, I get it renewed within one business day, but this time there was an administrative hiccup that led to a month- long delay. The British military officer in charge of the island - called the 'Brit Rep' - was new to his post here. He read all the can's and cannot's of the job, and the legal info about issuing ham licenses says that tickets are signed by the Territorial Commissioner who's back in the U.K.
The Brit Rep finally got the official word last week that issuing authority was delegated to the local office, and my license was signed the next day. This was the first time in the 15 years I've been coming here that anything like that had happened. In fact, licensing had been so smooth here that in 2008, I walked in to the Brit Rep's office without an appointment and left 45 minutes later with not only a signed renewal for my regular VQ9JC license but also a special temporary license for my VQ98JC operation. I wonder if anyone else can claim receiving two licenses fully authorized with- out previous notice that fast!
Anyway, I'm still operating Field Day style from the covered picnic table at the park which has AC power and dozens of gecko lizards chasing the bugs. The table is about 30 feet from the wall of the jungle, and this weekend I'll try to thread a 135-foot OCF dipole through all the trees in the jungle so that I can not only leave the antenna up but also have multi-band capability. If I hoist the antenna where it can be seen, I would stand a very good chance of it being quickly removed as the 150 pound fishing line that I use to secure the antenna and the copper wire are both precious commo- dities here.
The OCF dipole doesn't work on 15m, 30m, or 60m, even with a match- box, so I'll put up separate dipoles for 15 and 30 and feed those two and the OCF to a switch. I don't know yet if I'll put up a 60m dipole. The 80m OCF is going to be a big enough project just to get it hoisted to only 25 feet; the jungle's pretty thick! I'll also be putting up a 20m dipole and maybe a 30m dipole as well on the ship. Obviously, I sign /MM during any contacts made from the ship as I did earlier this year. Contacts with me as /MM aren't valid for DXCC of course, but SKCC ops can count them if my ship's QTH is near the island.
The rig is an FT-857D. I'll be running 100 watts most of the time, but I'm expecting to do some QRP work from here too. Most of my oper- ating will be CW as usual (with a cootie most times), but I'll be on SSB occasionally. Also, I'm a rookie when it comes to digital comms, but I'm hoping to get my Rigblaster and FLDigi software configured to do some PSK and RTTY work.
While on board the ship, I use an Icom IC-760 that I have set up in my service shop. I feed the coax through a helicopter control center that's directly above my shop. My shipboard antennas are about 115 feet above the water line. I don't have internet connectivity when I'm at my operating QTH on the island, so I obviously can't help with real-time QSY requests or the ever present 'EU PSE' when I'm calling for NA & SA stations."
OPDX asked Jim about the status of the club station, possibly using a special VQ prefix for 2014, activity on the satellites and if he would attend the 2014 Dayton HamVention, and he replied, "Yeah, the ham club station is gone forever unfortunately. The log periodic has been grounded and dismantled, and everything in the shack has been turned back over to the Navy. I'm here six months out of the year of course, but once Larry, VQ9LA left three years ago, there was no one reliably present during my off times. When the Navy's MWR office personnel made a routine visit, they found nobody there since I was Stateside, so they decided that the club was no longer in use and took what they thought were appropriate steps. By the time I got back to the island and worked my way up the chain of command, the deal had been sealed.
And yes, I'm working the satellites out here although there aren't many ops to work. I'll be on the birds when I get home again next year.
I don't know yet if my XYL Cori (KK4CGA) and I will be at Dayton this coming May or not. We're hoping to go to New England for the ARRL Centennial in July, and we'll likely do only one trip. My assignment schedule has me returning to the ship a few days before the national convention, and I'm trying to work things out with the guy that's here when I'm off ship for him to stay a little longer so that I can attend. He hasn't given me a firm answer yet though.
My plan for 2014 is to get VQ94JC issued for sometime during the second half of the year. The local licensing office has no require- ments toward my getting a ticket other than having one already issued by the FCC. My US license expires in April, and the FCC won't enable the renewing process until 90 days before the expir- ation date, so I have to wait until early January to do that. If I can get the renewed license here - actually just a scanned copy will do and my XYL will send that - I can turn that over to the local office, and they should issue me the short-term ticket. Emphasis on special. It's all legal of course, but the folks in that office are all British military who typically do one-year tours here before being re-assigned, so I can never assume that the next person will cooperate. I'm optimistic though as I've already had 7 VQ9xJC licenses plus the VQ975FOC ticket earlier this year, so the precedent's pretty well established. When I started doing the VQ9xJC bit in 2007, I did it just for fun and I thought the WPX chasers would like it. I really didn't expect to still be doing it after so many years. Now I'm looking ahead at rounding out the decade of annual special callsigns and thinking about what special prefix variation to initiate after the 10th one!" QSL via ND9M.
[ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1143 for the above information]
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AMSAT Representatives Requested for Vienna Wireless Society Hamfest
Jack Welch, coordinator for the Vienna Wireless Society Hamfest, in Northern Virginia is seeking AMSAT-related representatives, who would like to either do a classroom presentation or a parking lot demo during their winterfest this February. The event is on Feb 23rd in Annadale, VA. It will be held at the Northern Virginia Community College. They have a classroom and seminar room available for 30-60 minute presentations. Also available are parking lots, some for parking, some for tailgating, that have a pretty good view of the horizon for demos.
If you are available to help pleae contact AMSAT Director-Field Operations, Patrick Stoddard, WE9EWK, at wd9ewk@amsat.org or Jack Welch, AI4SV, dhakajack at gmail dot com
Our hamfest info is at: http://www.viennawireless.org/winterfest.php
[ANS thanks Jack Welch AI4SV for the above information]
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ARISS News
Uncoming ARISS contact with Zespel Szkel Technicznych, Ostriw Wielkopolski, Poland
An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Zesp?l Szk?l Technicznych, Ostr?w Wielkopolski, Poland on 08 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:43 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and SP3POW. The contact should be audible over Poland and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
The Centre of Technical Schools in Ostrew Wielkopolski is a school which educates future electronics and mechatronics engineers, computer scientists and renewable energy specialists. Our school has been cooperating with Polish universities, electronic and mechatronic industrial plants and schools in Germany and the UK, what brings very good results. Thanks to the participation in the ARISS program our school has partnered with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Our students participate in various forms of extra-curricular activities which develop their passions and interests. As a result, they have created many interesting electronic and mechatronic devices. For example, some of the recent constructions include fpv plane, a qudrocopter, a stratospheric balloon capsule, some amateur radio equipment and many more.
Currently, the school has 800 students aged 16 - 19 years. The Center of Technical Schools has invited its younger mates (students 13 - 15 years old) from Junior High School No. 1 named of Polish Nobel laureates in Ostr?w Wielkopolski and 10 - 12 year-old students from Pope John Paul II Primary School in Lamki so that they all can participate in the ARISS program. Preparations for the ARISS contact began in late 2011. A series of amateur radio classes were carried out so that students could learn the rules of work on the radio. It was a very interesting experience to carry out radio communications through amateur radio satellites and to take photos from NOAA satellites. In addition, we monitored other radio signals from the space. Most emotions were from the radio contact with the ISS in the APRS system and from listening to ARISS contacts of other schools in Poland and Europe.
The schools participating in the ARISS program organized a series of events to promote various fields of science, particularly those that are the most relevant for the development of astronautics.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What scientific experiments are carried out on the space station at present? 2. How does the magnetic needle work in space? 3. How do you handle different illnesses? 4. How would a pendulum clock work on board of the ISS? 5. Was there anything that surprised or impressed you during your stay in space? 6. What was the largest mammal (except for humans) which was on the ISS? 7. How do flying insects behave in zero gravity? 8. Do you know how many centimeters your body lengthened in weightlessness? 9. Is it easy to use a pen or a fountain pen on the space station? 10. Do you think that time in space passes faster? 11. How do you observe and explore the Moon? 12. What or how did you feel when you saw the Earth from space for the first time? 13. Does Kirobo work well and fulfill its mission on the ISS? 14. Is it hard to get used to weightlessness? 15. Is it possible to be able to breed crystals in weightlessness?
PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:
Sign up for the SAREX maillist at http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex
Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).
To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status
Next planned event(s):
1. Berkeley Middle School, Williamsburg, VA, direct via K4RC
Wed, 08Jan2014, 18:33 UTC
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks David, AA4KN for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
SkyCube 2meter highly reflective balloon
The empty gray box shown at the top of the satellite model is the container that holds SkyCube's balloon. We will command the ballon to inflate 90 days into the mission. Most CubeSats are far too small to see from the ground, but SkyCube will be an exception. The satellite will carry a tightly-packed balloon, made of 0.35-mil (9 µm) low-density polyethylene, coated with highly reflective titanium dioxide (TiO2) powder. During the final phase of the mission, the balloon will be inflated with a 4- gram CO2 cartridge, and expand to a diameter of nearly 7 feet (2 m). This will make SkyCube brightly visible to millions of people on the ground as it passes over the Earth's twilight regions. SkyCube's balloon serves another purpose. Once it inflates, SkyCube's orbit will decay rapidly due to atmospheric drag. Less than two weeks after balloon inflation, SkyCube will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up harmlessly. The balloon lets SkyCube end its mission cleanly, and avoid becoming space debris that could harmfully impact future missions. SkyCube's balloon was developed by Global Western, an experienced supplier of aerostats for NASA, JPL, and others with unique high-altitude ballooning needs. Further details are available in SkyCube's Orbital Debris Assesment Report (ODAR), required by NASA and approved with our FCC license, above.
[ANS thanks Kevin Fetter and the Seesat-l mailing list for the above short]
2M Scotland
Listen for Paul Robinson, 2E1EUB/2M1EUB/P operating portable from Scotland beginning on 4 January for 7 days. Paul plans to be active on the satellites via AO7, AO73, VO52, FO29 and SO50. His operations will be from his van, holiday style. Paul says that on this trip he will only be in NE Scotland this time.
[ANS thanks Paul, 2E1EUB/2M1EUB/Pfor the above short]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-026
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:
* AMSAT-NA will be at HamCation 2014! * AMSAT-NA Updating Their List of Current AMSAT-Related Nets * FUNcube at National Student Space Conference * Radio amateurs receive Rosetta signals * Northern Virginia-Maryland-Washington, DC AMSAT Events * $50SAT PocketQube two months after launch * Upcoming AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-026.01 ANS-026 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 026.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. January 26, 2013 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-026.01
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AMSAT-NA will be at HamCation 2014!
AMSAT-NA will be at the 2014 Orlando HamCation on Friday through Sunday, 7-9 February 2014. Stop by the AMSAT booth where John Papay, K8YSE will be demonstrating his two remote satellite stations. Don’t miss the AMSAT Forum on Saturday, February 8th. It will be moderated by Dave Jordan, AA4KN and will be located in the Children’s Safety Village, Classroom I, 1:45 – 2:45 PM. Speakers will include AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW on AMSAT’s activities, Lou McFadin, W5DID on the new HamTV experiment on the International Space Station, and Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT-NA Vice President for Operations on AO-73 and other new amateur satellites. Drew will also will be on hand both Saturday and Sunday conducting portable satellite contacts and fielding questions from the crowd.
FLASH: Drew and John will be operating as W1AW/4 for the portable demos from the HamCation!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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AMSAT-NA Updating Their List of Current AMSAT-Related Nets
AMSAT-NA is updating their list of AMSAT and AMSAT-related nets, and needs your help. The current list may be found on AMSAT.ORG under the Services Menu. The information is somewhat dated. Please review the list of nets, and send corrections and deletions to AMSAT Director-Field Operations, Patrick Stoddard, WE9EWKWD9EWK@AMSAT.ORG.
We are looking for nets on all modes, including Echolink and D-Star.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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FUNcube at National Student Space Conference
David Johnson G4DPZ will be giving a presentation on the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) spacecraft to the National Student Space Conference being held at the University of Leicester on March 1-2.
David is a software engineer and committee member of AMSAT-UK. He writes Open-Source satellite Ground-Segment and orbit prediction software, and has been involved in many amateur satellite projects over the past 35 years including PCSAT-2 (flew on the ISS), GENSO Network, AmsatDroid prediction App, STRaND-1 smartphone nanosatellite, and FUNcube Data Warehouse.
His talk will cover the AMSAT-NL/AMSAT-UK educational amateur satellite project – FUNcube, an educational single CubeSat project with the goal of enthusing and educating young people about radio, space, physics and electronics. He will give a short history of the project and the work leading up to the launch, share the thrill of launch day, and the current and future plans for operation of the satellite.
Also at the conference will be speakers from the UK Space Agency, Reaction Engines, and HE Space.
Conference Speakers http://ukseds.org/nssc2014/speakers.php
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Radio amateurs receive Rosetta signals
James Miller G3RUH reports reception of the Rosetta spacecraft signal at a distance of 805 million km from Earth using the 20 metre dish at the Bochum amateur radio facility
On the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) James Miller G3RUH writes: Just a quick note about Rosetta X-band. I checked it this morning from Bochum.
2014 Jan 21 [Tue] 0934 utc AZ 172° El 11° R 805 Million km CNR 25.5 dB(Hz) QRG 8421.786900 MHz at the spacecraft
Rosetta is about 14 dB weaker than Stereo A/B. The system at Bochum has a G/T approx 40 dB(1/K). Bertrand Pinel F5PL, located near Castelnaudary, France, 65km from Toulouse, successfully tracked Rosetta on January 21, 2014 at 10:00 UT, using a 3.5m dish antenna,
see http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/01/22/radio-amateur-diy-rosetta- tracking/
ESA Rosetta Blog http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/
ESA on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanSpaceAgency
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Northern Virginia-Maryland-Washington, DC AMSAT Events
Maryland-DC AMSAT Area Coordinator Pat Kilroy, N8PK says that two opportunities are coming for AMSAT to make a splash in the amateur radio community. Pat hopes as many Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC AMSAT members as possible come out for these events to show amateur radio in space to the public and fellow amateur operators.
Vienna, Virginia ---------------- Sunday, February 23, 2014 - The Vienna Wireless Winterfest http://www.viennawireless.org/winterfest.php
Steve Greene, KS1G, of Herndon, Va. will be leading an effort to staff an impressive AMSAT booth as well as provide a forum and a *possible* satellite demo. But he needs help from the local AMSAT guys. Please contact Steve at ks1g@amsat.org to offer your time and support.
Timonium, Maryland ------------------ Saturday, April 5, 2014 - The Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest 2014 including the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Expo 2014 http://www.gbhc.org/
Pat Kilroy, N8PK is organizing the AMSAT booth and display for this event. Conditions permitting the demonstrations may include flying a small experiment on a high-altitude balloon. Pat is planning to staff a three table AMSAT display indoors. Contact Pat via e-mail at n8pk@amsat.org to volunteer and offer your ideas for the display.
[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information]
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$50SAT PocketQube two months after launch
Michael Kirkhart KD8QBA reminds us that the PocketQube $50SAT has now been operating for two months. He writes:
It has now been 2 months since the launch of $50SAT into its 625 km (approximate) sun-synchronous orbit, and as of this morning [Tuesday January 21], it is still operating.
It is getting cold again in EN82 land, so it is not likely I will be able to gather RTTY telemetry during the next few days, as my trusty netbook will not likely be able to deal with the cold for very long. Hopefully, everyone else can “pick up the slack” for me. I will still go out and monitor passes, provided it does not get too cold.
Since it was pretty cold this morning (about -12 to -13 degrees C), I chose not to record the pass at 15:24 UTC (10:28 AM local time). Instead, I monitored it using my FT-60. At about 15:36 UTC, I heard the codespeed on the FM Morse beacon drop, which indicates the availability of solar power. Using gpredict, I estimated the latitude of the satellite sub-point (the point on the Earth directly underneath the satellite) to be about 24 degrees N. Today, the sun is directly over 20.4 degrees south latitude (23.5 degrees * sin(270 + 30), as it has been about 30 days since the winter solstice). At the time I heard the beacon, the angle of $50SAT normal to the sun (assuming the passive magnetic stabilization is working) would be about 24 – (-20.4), or about 44.4 degrees. This means the solar radiation intensity is about 70% of its maximum value, which means the solar power generating capacity will be anywhere from 50% to 70% of its maximum, depending on whether one or two panels are facing the sun. But since I did not collect telemetry, I have no values for comparison.
I was able to collect RTTY telemetry on Sunday and Monday, and here it is:
2014-01- 19,16:34,$$$$50jAT,128,,467,,,52,3,,21,142,82,,102,305,3662,*43 2014-01-19,16:36,b50SAT.128,,467,,,54,3,,21,139,82,,102,305,3683,*46 2014-01-19,16:39,$50SAT,128,,467,,,59,3,,21,132,83,1223cr}
2014-01-20,16:55,50SAT,128,,471,,,60,3,,21,132,83,,122,309,3683,*42
Michael Kirkhart KD8QBA $50SAT team
$50SAT is one of the smallest amateur radio satellites ever launched at 5x5x7.5 cm and weighs only 210 grams. Transmitter power is just 100 mW on 437.505 MHz (+/-9 kHz Doppler shift) FM CW/RTTY. It uses the low cost Hope RFM22B single chip radio and PICaxe 40X2 processor.
$50SAT has been a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.
Further information in the $50SAT Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l3919wtfiywk2gf/-HxyXNsIr8
There is a discussion group for $50SAT http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/50dollarsat/
50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Deploying software updates to ArduSat in orbit
Radio amateur Jonathan Oxer VK3FADO gave this Keynote presentation on the latest developments in the ArduSat CubeSat project to the 2014 Linux conference in Perth, Western Australia.
Jon has been hacking on both hardware and software since he was a little tacker. Most recently he’s been focusing more on the Open Hardware side, co-founding Freetronics as a direct result of organising the first Arduino Miniconf at LCA2010. His books include “Ubuntu Hacks” and “Practical Arduino”.
Jon has been variously referred to as Australia’s geekiest man and as a cyborg-in-progress. As part of his “SuperHouse” home automation series, Jon has taken keyless entry to an all new level by embedding an RFID tag into his arm using a vet’s chipping tool.
Recently he has been working on ArduSat, a satellite that aims to give hobbyists, students and space enthusiasts an opportunity to design and run their own experiments in space. By choosing a standardised platform based on the hugely popular Arduino hardware design, ArduSat allows anyone to develop and prototype experiments at home using readily accessible parts and all based on a simple open source software environment.
ArduSat Open Source Ham Radio CubeSats http://amsat-uk.org/2013/08/09/ardusat-open-source-ham-radio-cubesats/
Linux Conference Perth Jan 6-10 http://lca2014.linux.org.au/
Linux Australia http://www.linux.org.au/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Upcoming AMSAT Events
Friday and Saturday, 14-15 February 2014 – Yuma Hamfest at Yuma County Fairgrounds in Yuma AZ (south of I-8, along 32nd Street near Yuma International Airport and MCAS Yuma). AMSAT will have a table in the main hall at the hamfest, and satellite demonstrations outside the hall are planned.
Sunday, 23 February 2014 – Vienna Wireless Winterfest at Vienna VA. AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, Steve Greene KS1G will lead a forum, and there may be satellite demonstrations during this event.
Saturday, 15 March 2014 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club‘s Springfest in Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix). AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned. Demonstrations at this hamfest will be done using the call sign W1AW/7 as part of the ARRL centennial commemorations, and QSLing will be handled by ARRL.
Saturday, 29 March 2014 – Radio Society of Tucson‘s 2014 Hamfest in Tucson AZ. AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – The Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest 2014, including the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Expo 2014, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium MD. AMSAT will have a booth at this hamfest, and other AMSAT-related events may be planned.
Monday, 28 April 2014 – presentation at Franklin County Amateur Radio Club meeting in Greenfield MA by Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President)
Saturday, 3 May 2014 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association‘s Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ (southeast of Tucson) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 7 June 2014 – Kachina Amateur Radio Club‘s White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ (eastern Arizona, south of US-60/AZ-77/AZ-260) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Friday and Saturday, 13-14 June 2014 – Ham-Com in Plano TX (north of Dallas)
Thursday through Sunday, 17-20 July 2014 – ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford CT. AMSAT will host a day-long Satellite Workshop on Thursday, and have a booth at the convention along with an AMSAT Forum and demonstrations throughout the convention.
Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 August 2014 – Shelby Hamfest in Shelby NC (west of Gastonia and Charlotte) – Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President) will host an AMSAT Forum on Saturday of this weekend
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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ARISS News
Uncoming ARISS contact with Indiana Area School District, Indiana, PA, telebridge via W6SRJ Contact is a go for: Tue 2014-01-28 13:30:33 UTC 62 deg
An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at the Indiana Area School District, Indiana, PA, USA on Tuesday January 28th. AOS is anticipated at 13:30 UTC.
The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Contact times are approximate. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ in California. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
Indiana, Pennsylvania is a rural town with a population of 32,000 that is situated sixty miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Our residents enjoy the convenient proximity to a major city, as well as the community-feel and lifestyle of a small town. The Indiana Area School District has provided a dynamic high-quality educational program for over 170 years. Our four K-5 elementary schools, one 6-8 junior high school and one 9-12 senior high school serve 2800 students district wide. In addition to distinguished academic achievement, our students’ activities include fundraising for a variety of charitable causes, school and community leadership, as well as setting new standards for excellence in both academic and athletics competitions. In fact, we currently boast two National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists and a third honoree. We are proud of our student’s accomplishments!
Our dynamic school programs are part of the building blocks for student success. Beginning with a commitment to early childhood and pre-K programs to increase student learning readiness, to the rigor and challenge of enrichment options at the elementary school level. Our secondary programs include an array of Advanced Placement and STEM course offerings, dual enrollment options, and our own cyber school option for students. Many local residents will tell you, “Indiana, PA is a great place to raise a family.” This is true because we blend the small town community with a school system that continually strives to provide cutting-edge programs that prepare students to be successful citizens. .
Indiana Area School District, Indiana, PA, telebridge via W6SRJ (***) Contact is a go for: Tue 2014-01-28 13:30:33 UTC 62 deg (***)
Proposed questions generated by the Indiana Area School District students:
1. How many countries are involved in the International Space Station? 2. Can you feel the cold of space through your space suit? 3. Do you believe that there is intelligent life thriving somewhere in the universe? 4. Does being weightless have any long-term effects on the human body? 5. When do you think we will have the technology for astronauts to travel farther in space? 6. Which of the research projects that you are working on right now, has the most scientific potential? 7. Who has the most control over the spacecraft? The astronauts, stabilization auto-pilot, or mission control? 8. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you in space? 9. Are space suits comfortable? 10. How do you help your families deal with the dangers of your job? 11. What is the most common misconception teenagers may have about space? 12. Do you have any anxiety because you are nowhere near the safety of Earth? 13. What college, and what major, would you recommend for someone to become an astronaut? 14. What is the most interesting, or strangest, thing you have seen in the space station? 15. What surprised you the most when you first arrived in space? 16. What is your theory of life on other planets?
ARISS is requesting listener reports for the above contacts. Due to issues with the Kenwood radio that are not fully understood at present, the Ericsson radio is going to be used for these contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n@amsat.org or aj9n@aol.com.
Audio from this contact will be fed into the: EchoLink *AMSAT* (101377) and IRLP Node 9010 Discovery Reflector.
Streaming Audio will be provided at: https://sites.google.com/site/arissaudio/
Audio on Echolink and Web stream is generally transmitted around 20 minutes prior to the contact taking place so that you can hear some of the preparation that occurs. IRLP will begin just prior to the ground station call to the ISS.
Please note that on Echolink there are automatic breaks of 1.5 seconds in the audio transmission. These occur every 2.5 minutes during the event. Breaks on IRLP are manual and occur approximately after every third question.
Successful Contacts:
January 18, 2014 A telebridge contact via station K6DUE with Wallingford STEM Academy/Town of Wallingford, CT, USA was successful Saturday, January 18th. Nineteen questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata,
To read a local news story: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/wallingford/wallingfordnews/34370 90-129/students-talk-to-astronaut-aboard-the-space-station.html
Here is a tweet astronaut Wakata sent after the contact: https://twitter.com/Astro_Wakata/status/424806909510549504
Wallingford STEM Academy is a community based and family oriented organization the excites students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This program, previously known as the Young Astronaut Club of Wallingford and founded in 2000, has been providing STEM enrichment for students in grades 4 through 8 for over thirteen years through Wallingford Youth and Social Services.
The Wallingford STEM Academy is a collaborative partnership between the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW), the Town of Wallingford Youth and Social Services Department (WYSS), the Wallingford Education Association (WEA). STEM Academy branches in Wallingford, and Hamden, are the flagship programs for CEA’s STEM Education Initiative. We currently serve the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW) and the general population. 40% of our STEM Enrichment Academy is comprised of students from the Spanish community and 40 % of our students are girls interested in STEM education. Our weekly meetings are conducted at the Spanish Community of Wallingford Great Room and in our STEM Education Classroom next to SCOW.
Since 2005, a companion project to Wallingford STEM Enrichment Academy is the Wallingford Family Science and STEM Night Series. At least twice a month, we organize and implement family oriented Science and STEM Family Nights in Wallingford. These events range from evening programs, daytime vacation programs, hands-on investigations, assembly style programs, and night sky observations. The purpose of this organization is to deepen student, and family, understanding of STEM concepts as a compliment to an existing inquiry based STEM curriculum in Wallingford. Our major funders for both STEM Academy and Wallingford Family STEM Nights are the Wallingford Rotary Club’s Wallingford Foundation, 3M Charitable Contributions and the Connecticut Education Association.
January 17, 2014 A direct contact with students at Collège Les Gondoliers, La Roche sur Yon, France with astronaut Koichi Wakata was successful Friday, January 17th at 09:51:13 UTC 34 deg. Wakata answered 17 questions in English. His answers were later translated to French for the audience of 200 students, teachers, media and radio amateurs in the gymnasium.
For a video of the contact conducted in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDbcHY6uKEY
Local news coverage: http://www.lejournaldupaysyonnais.fr/2014/01/17/allo-liss-ici-les- gondoliers-over/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=allo-liss- ici-les-gondoliers-over
Les Gondoliers Secondary School, with its 500 pupils -aged 11-15- is located in Vendée, 70 km south of the city of Nantes, where famous Jules Verne author was born . At the end of the last year, the pupils take an exam called "Diplôme National du Brevet". Our Astronomy Club has resumed its activities this year with the objective to enter in contact with the ISS. The starting point has been the visit of the exhibition “Voyages planétaires” (Planetary spaceflights), in Nantes, during the International Planetary Science Congress. Various astronomy and amateur radio activities will be organized, with the help of members of the association of "radioamateurs of Vendée", who will come to our school to display their activities and provide us with the tools that will be necessary to get in contact with the ISS.
PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:
Sign up for the SAREX maillist at http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex
Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS).
To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status
A planned event for:
1. A contact with students at Fort Belvoir Elementary school in Fort Belvoir MD, USA, sponsored by Marymount University in Arlington, VA, USA that was planned for Fri 2014-01-24 will be rescheduled.
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks ARISS for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
Funcube - an observation from the AMSAT-BB
Message: 6 Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 13:43:03 -0500 From: John Papay fl@papays.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] Funcube - an observation Message-ID: 673369.9651.bm@smtp120.sbc.mail.gq1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Most everyone knows about Funcube and how successful it has been. If you look at the Funcube Warehouse page you will see that many hams around the world are uploading data from the satellite every day. As of this morning I counted 493 different ground stations and they have uploaded more than 1.15 Million data packets since late November. About half of the stations are located in the US and Britain. The other half are spread out around the world showing that this is not just something that has interested those in the UK. Thirty-three stations have each uploaded more than 10,000 packets!
In addition I have to give accolades to Mark Spencer, WA8SME, at the ARRL for his excellent paper describing Funcube, its experiments and how to receive it and make sense of the data. Most everyone on the birds asks about what antennas work best. Mark seeks to quantify the performance of some common antennas like the M2 circular polarized beam, Arrows on rotors or fixed, with or without preamps, 5/8 wave and 1/4 wave ground planes. He does that by comparing the number of packets received on each antenna during a pass. The results are quite interesting. You can download the paper at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/FUNCube%20Guide.pdf
Mark is the reason that the Teacher's Institute has been so successful. If you operate on the satellites you probably have heard his student teachers making contacts on the birds. When he was living on the west coast he went to DN01 and DN00 and put them on the birds for those of us that chase grids. After moving to the east coast he has continued the work with satellites at the League and has developed hardware for satellites including the FT817 interface and most recently a portable az/el rotator system. We see articles about satellites in QST Magazine on a regular basis and I'm sure it is because of his representation at the League. The younger generation is the future of AMSAT and Mark's work is certainly making a difference in terms of introducing them to satellites.
The Funcube team and G6LVB have certainly encouraged our young people to get interested in ham radio and satellites. The Funcube SDR was a great fundraiser and facilitated students in their quest to receive data from space and learn from the experiments on board. Congratulations to everyone involved in the highly successful Funcube project.
73, John K8YSE
[ANS thanks John, K8YSE and AMSAT-BB for the above short]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
Acquired A0 73 at about 5 degrees elevation from FM 16. With about +10.8 RIT started to hear a weak return from my transmission, my signal never peaked.
Checked power out put and SWR all okay.
Worked a bit earlier FO29 just fine.
I must be missing something.
Comments please!
Rich W4BUE K4AMG Club
Hi Rick, WA4BUE
Working AO73 you missed a good satellite in the class of VO52 or FO29
73" de i8CVS Domenico
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rich/wa4bue" richard.siff@verizon.net To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 5:18 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] A0 73 Orbits 1013 1014
Acquired A0 73 at about 5 degrees elevation from FM 16. With about +10.8 RIT started to hear a weak return from my transmission, my signal never peaked.
Checked power out put and SWR all okay.
Worked a bit earlier FO29 just fine.
I must be missing something.
Comments please!
Rich W4BUE K4AMG Club
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-047
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:
* University of Louisiana CAPE II Cubesat Designated LO-75 * CubeSats deployed from International Space Station * Brazilian students talk to Space Station using Amateur Radio * New launch dates for SpaceX and Soyuz-2.1b Fregat-M * FUNcube Data Warehouse Min-Max Values * Brown University LED CubeSat * Santa Catalina Island Activation on SO-50 * $50SAT PocketQube Update * Upcoming AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-047.01 ANS-047 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 047.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. February 16, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-047.01
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University of Louisiana CAPE II Cubesat Designated LO-75
OSCAR Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO announced the University of Louisiana's CAPE II cubesat has been designated as University of Louisiana OSCAR 75 or LO-75.
Bill wrote to AMSAT mentor Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, and the CAPE II cubesat team, "I have been able to determine CAPE II has met all of the requirements for an OSCAR number. By the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA president, I hereby issue CAPE II the designation Uni- versity of Louisiana OSCAR 75 or LO-75. I, and all of the amateur satellite community, wish LO-75 the best of success".
CAPE II operates on 145.825 MHz with a CW beacon with the callsign W5UL, it also includes a digipeater, text to speech operation, a simplex repeater, email and tweet functions. The ground station soft- ware can be downloaded from http://www.ulcape.org
FUNCube was recently issued OSCAR designation as AO-73. CubeBug-2 was designated as LO-74.
[ANS thanks Bill Tynan, W3XO for the above information]
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CubeSats deployed from International Space Station
On Tuesday, February 11, 2014 astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA successfully deployed the first of the 33 CubeSats that were launched from the Wallops Flight Facility, VA to the International Space Station (ISS) in the Cygnus freighter on January 9.
The first two of the Flock-1 constellation of 28 Dove CubeSats made by Planet Labs were deployed at about 0831 UT, it is thought there were another two Dove CubeSats deployed at 1241 UT. Look for the amateur radio satellites in the near future.
In addition to the 28 Planet Labs CubeSats there are four amateur radio CubeSats – LituanicaSat-1, LitSat-1, ArduSat-2 and UAPSat-1 as well as a 915 MHz CubeSat SkyCube.
LituanicaSat-1 carries a 145/435 MHz FM transponder while LitSat-1 is thought to carry a 435/145 MHz linear transponder for SSB/CW communications.
The IARU coordinated frequencies are listed as:
LituanicaSAT-1 • FM Transponder Uplink 145.950 MHz Downlink 435.180 MHz • AX25 Uplink 145.850 MHz AX25 Downlink 437.550 MHz • CW Beacon 437.275 MHz Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lituanicasat1
LitSat-1 • SSB Transponder Uplink 435.180 MHz Downlink 145.950 MHz • AX25 Uplink 437.550 MHz Downlink 145.850 MHz Facebook https://www.facebook.com/palydovas
ArduSat • 9k6 MSK CCSDS data format downlink 437.? MHz http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/575960623/ardusat-your-arduino- experiment-in-space
UAPSAT • AX.25 Packet Radio uplink 145.980 MHz downlink 437.385 MHz
Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA https://twitter.com/Astro_Wakata
NanoRacks https://twitter.com/nanoracks/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nanoracks
Planet Labs https://twitter.com/planetlabs
A Dove in Space https://twitter.com/adoveinspace
Southern Stars https://twitter.com/south_stars
Video of NanoRacks interview: Deploying CubeSats from the Space Station http://amsat-uk.org/2014/01/31/video-deploying-cubesats-from-the- space-station/
CubeSats deployments are streamed live at http://m.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Brazilian students talk to Space Station using Amateur Radio
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact took place at 17:24 UT on Thursday, February 13, 2014.
International_Space_StationStudents at Escola Estadual ‘Gonçalves Dias’, Boa Vista, Brazil, using the station of Paulo PV8DX, were able to talk to astronaut Michael Hopkins KF5LJG who was using the callsign OR4ISS. The contact lasted about 9 minutes and took place in English on 145.800 MHz FM.
The school, founded in 1977, works in two shifts, morning and afternoon with a total of 800 students. The school has a specialty program dedicated to Computer Science and related areas – students in this area were directly involved in the ARISS event. These same students were involved in the development of questions and related studies. The school has 70 teachers and 30 administrative support staff.
The students asked these questions:
1. Why did you decide to be an astronaut? 2. How long can a person live in space? 3. How do you communicate with your family? 4. After the mission, what are the most critical physical and psychological effects on your body and mind? 5. If someone is critically injured on the ISS, what would you do with them? 6. In case of illness, how is aid provided? 7. What kind of research are you doing on the ISS? 8. Do you feel disoriented when you return home? 9. Given the incredible commitment to become an astronaut, do you ever doubt your choice? 10. How do you bathe on the ISS? 11. What is the most interesting thing you have seen in Space? 12. Is oxygen recycled continually on the ISS or do supply vehicles bring up new oxygen? 13. What is a typical day like on the ISS? 14. Since there are people from different countries on the ISS, what is the language spoken on the Station and what kind of food do you eat?
Media coverage can be seen at http://g1.globo.com/rr/roraima/noticia/2014/02/estudantes-de-rr- fazem-contato-com-astronauta-em-estacao-espacial.html
http://g1.globo.com/rr/roraima/jornal-de- roraima/videos/t/edicoes/v/estudantes-roraimenses-tem-contato-com- astronauta-por-meio-de-projeto-da-nasa/3147827/
http://www.rr.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12... 94:no-espaco-comunicacao-entre-estudantes-de-roraima-e-astronauta- americano-foi-um-sucesso&catid=198:2014fevereiro&Itemid=210
Sign up for the SAREX maillist at http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station http://www.ariss.org/
[ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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New launch dates for SpaceX and Soyuz-2.1b Fregat-M
There are new launch dates for both SpaceX CRS-3 launching from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Soyuz-2.1b, Fregat-M which will be launching from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
On his website Mineo Wakita JE9PEL provides the following information:
SpaceX CRS-3 (Dragon C5) Falcon 9 v1.1 is now planned for March 16, 2014 at 0841 UT. It should be carrying these satellites: • All-Star/THEIA, Colorado Space Grant Consortium, 2401.700 MHz • Hermes-2, Colorado Space Grant Consortium, 437.425 MHz • Ho’oponopono-2, University of Hawaii, 427.220 MHz 9600 bps FSK / GMSK • LMRSat, Jet Propulsion Laboratory • SporeSat, Santa Clara University, 437.100 MHz and 2401.2-2431.2 MHz • TechCube-1, NASA Goddard • TSAT (TestSat-Lite), Taylor University
Soyuz-2.1b, Fregat-M is planned for June 1, 2014 at 1625 UT with these satellites: •AISSat-2, University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies, Norway • Baumanets-2, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Russia • DX-1, Dauria Aerospace, Russia • Meteor-M-N2, NPP VNIIEM, Russia • M3MSat, CSA / COM DEV, Canada • Relek (MKA-PN-2), Lavochkin, Russia • SkySat-2, Skybox Imaging, USA • TechDemoSat-1, SSTL, UK • UKube-1, UK Space Agency, UK • Venta-1, Ventspils University, Latvia
UKube-1 communications subsystem: • Telemetry downlink 145.840 MHz • 2401.0 MHz S Band Downlink • 437.425-437.525 MHz UKSEDS myPocketQub Downlink • FUNcube subsystem beacon 145.915 MHz 1200 bps BPSK • 400 mW inverting linear transponder for SSB and CW - 435.080 -435.060 MHz Uplink - 145.930 -145.950 MHz Downlink
[ANS thanks Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL & AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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FUNcube Data Warehouse Min-Max Values
Since deployment on November 21, 2013 of FUNcube-1 (AO-73) the FUNcube team have been capturing the minimum and maximum Realtime values for each channel when they have been uploaded by a ground station. This has given a good overview for the early operation and initial commissioning.
The team have now moved into a steady state of operation and need to check for long-term trends. To achieve this, they have changed the min-max data collection such that it resets every 7 days and we capture the values each time it does so. At reset you will see the reference date change on the page and the min/max values converge. They will diverge again within an orbit.
The team have considered a rolling 7 day period but that is quite a heavyweight process on the server as it has to be run each time we get an upload!
As always, many thanks to all those who are uploading data to the warehouse.
Any feedback to the forum as usual please: http://forum.funcube.org.uk
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Brown University LED CubeSat
The EQUiSat CubeSat will have an LED beacon visible to the naked eye at night and will transmit data about its health and position.
EQUiSat, being built by a team of students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has been cleared for launch.
NASA has announced that EQUiSat is among 16 small satellites selected to fly on rockets to be launched over the three-year period beginning in 2015. EQUiSat has not been assigned to a particular rocket, but the announcement assures that the student-led project has a ticket to ride.
“It was pretty great to hear the news on Thursday,” said Hannah Varner, a senior engineering concentrator and one of the team’s leaders. “We’ve all been in disbelief for the last few days.”
The launch will be part of NASA’s CubeSats Launch Initiative. CubeSats are miniature spacecraft — four-inch cubes weighing around two pounds — that can be included as auxiliary payloads on rockets flown for other primary missions. The program’s purpose is to spur innovation in the design of relatively low-cost satellites and to get students interested in space technology. To get into the program, the Brown team submitted an application and made presentations to two review boards that judged the project’s technical feasibility and overall merit.
EQUiSat’s mission will be largely educational. The tiny satellite will carry a flashing LED beacon that will be visible to the naked eye as it passes through the night sky. In Providence, the beacon should be approximately as bright as the North Star, flashing every two minutes when in the night sky. EQUiSat will also broadcast via radio data on the health of its systems and its orientation relative to the Earth and sun. The signal will be available to anyone with a simple amateur radio receiver.
The idea is for EQUiSat to be a visible and audible ambassador from space to students and space enthusiasts on earth. The Brown team plans to combine the launch with a public outreach program. An app will help people track EQUiSat and know when it’s visible at their location. The team also plans to put together lessons that use EQUiSat to teach middle and high school students about satellites, orbital science, and space in general.
“Satellites have become so common but so few people know how important they are to everything we do,” Varner said. “They’re crucial to cell phones and TV and everything. So exposing a younger audience and a non-science audience to satellites was important for us.”
Another aspect of the mission is to show that space can be accessible to just about anyone with enough interest to try to get there.
“CubeSats are a really great architecture because, compared to other kinds of satellites, you can build them really quickly and get a launch comparatively easily,” said Emily Gilbert, a physics concentrator and an EQUiSat team leader. “They’re launched as secondary payloads so you don’t need to commission your own rocket for hundreds of millions of dollars. So it’s great for student groups without a lot of money and without a lot of time.”
EQUiSat will be inexpensive even by CubeSat standards. The students are building their satellite essentially from scratch, despite the fact that CubeSat parts — chassis, solar panels, and other components — can be purchased. Those parts aren’t cheap, and the build cost for most CubeSats is generally north of $30,000. But the EQUiSat team is working on a budget of around $13,000. Ultimately the students hope the design they develop for EQUiSat will lead to a CubeSat that can be built for $3,000 or less.
“We’re trying to prove that it’s possible to meet all of the specifications and all of the requirements without the very, very costly technology that is out there to build a satellite,” Varner said.
The students have worked for the last three years to design and build EQUiSat’s key systems. An attitude control system will align the satellite with Earth’s magnetic field to keep the LED pointed at a visible angle. A solar array will charge a set of lithium iron phosphate batteries, which will in turn power the LED and radio communications system. All of those systems will be carried on a chassis that can withstand the vibration of launch and the harsh vacuum of space. The team will spend the next year or so refining those systems and putting them all together on their tiny spacecraft.
The EQUiSat venture was launched in 2011 as part of an engineering design class taught by Rick Fleeter K8VK, adjunct professor of engineering. The project morphed into a student club in 2012 and now has around 30 student members. Fleeter, who founded a private satellite company before coming to Brown, oversees the club. But this is very much a student-owned project, he says.
“They’re just going on their own energy. I kind of got them pointed in the right direction, but it’s not like I have to encourage them or say, ‘Gee, guys, we ought to have a meeting.’ They just go.”
The original student founders were Kelsey MacMillan, Alexander Neff, Alexander Carrere, and Michael Monn KF7DEC, all members of the 2012 class. They passed the torch to the current group of leaders, including Varner, Gilbert, Kelly Hering, Tyler Del Sesto and Casey Meehan. All except Meehan are seniors, so they’ll need to pass the torch again. They’re quite confident that younger students will get EQUiSat into space.
“We have a really enthusiastic bunch coming up behind us,” Gilbert said. “We have a lot of faith in them.”
The team could get its launch call anytime starting next year through 2017.
Brown University Cubesat project https://mygroups.brown.edu/organization/CubeSat
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/browncubesat
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Santa Catalina Island Activation on SO-50
The Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club is pleased to announce that it will again be activating Santa Catalina Island, NA-066 as part of the RSGB IOTA program from Wednesday, 19 February to Sunday, 23 February 2014. The K6PV/6 operation will straddle grid squares DM03rk/DM03sk.
The team will arrive on the afternoon of the 19h and will be on the air with at least two HF stations by evening, and three HF stations by the next morning. Operation is planned to follow propagation on all HF bands 80 through 10 meters , and on 6 meters if conditions permit. Modes of operation will include SSB, CW, and RTTY.
Satellite operation is planned for SO-50 on available passes Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. QSL via K6PV.
[ANS thanks the Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club and the Work-Sat list for the above information]
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$50SAT PocketQube Update
Michael Kirkhart KD8QBA provides this update on the $50SAT PocketQube which transmits on 437.505 MHz (+/-9 kHz Doppler shift).
The TLEs on the Dropbox have been updated to reflect the latest element set available from Celestrak. This probably is not necessary, as many (if not all) of you are probably pulling them down into your satellite prediction programs straight from Celestrak’s WWW site.
Construction of the replacement engineering model (engineering model 1 was promoted to flight model 1 and is what is in orbit) has been completed, and preliminary tests show it to be operating correctly. I posted a few photos of the build up on the Dropbox in the Pictures/Engineering-Model-2 folder. Final mass is 202.1 g, which is about 4 to 5 grams lighter than the flight model. This is in line with expectations, as it only has 1 fully populated solar panel, and the missing solar cells (18 of the 24 used on the flight model) would add about 4 to 5 g.
The RTTY reports file has been updated to include all telemetry posted/collected as of 2014-02-11. This file has nearly doubled in size from the last update, which was only 16 days ago. Thanks to everyone who has been feeding the data beast by posting their telemetry; please keep doing so. QSL cards for those who have been posting telemetry should start appear in your mailbox in the next few weeks (or sooner).
While it is still quite cold (and snowy) here in EN82, I have been going out with my FT-60 to listen for at least one pass per day. As the terminator continues to move north (not fast enough for some of us who would like to get past winter), I have noticed the point where the FM Morse beacon transitions to slow code speed (indicating it is now warm enough to turn on the solar power) has been occurring earlier in the pass. As soon as it warms up a bit, I will gather some telemetry just to see how much solar power is being generated.
I have a bit more analysis to do, but thanks to some telemetry captured by Kristaps, we believe the low temperature of $50SAT to be about -24 degrees C.
73, Michael Kirkhart KD8QBA
$50SAT is one of the smallest amateur radio satellites ever launched at 5x5x7.5 cm and weighs only 210 grams. Transmitter power is just 100 mW on 437.505 MHz (+/-9 kHz Doppler shift) FM CW/RTTY. It uses the low cost Hope RFM22B single chip radio and PICaxe 40X2 processor.
$50SAT has been a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.
Further information in the $50SAT Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l3919wtfiywk2gf/-HxyXNsIr8
There is a discussion group for $50SAT http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/50dollarsat/
50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/
[ANS thanks Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Upcoming AMSAT Events
Sunday, 23 February 2014 – Vienna Wireless Winterfest at Vienna VA. AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, Steve Greene KS1G will lead a forum, and there may be satellite demonstrations during this event.
Saturday, 1 March 2014 – Irving Amateur Radio Club Hamfest at Betcha Bingo Hall in Irving TX (between Fort Worth and Dallas). AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and there may be satellite demonstrations during this event.
Friday and Saturday, 7-8 March 2014 – Green Country Hamfest and ARRL West Gulf Division Convention at Claremore Expo Center in Claremore OK. AMSAT will have a booth at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during this event.
Friday and Saturday, 14-15 March 2014 – Acadiana Amateur Radio Association‘s Rayne Hamfest and ARRL Delta Division Convention at the Rayne Civic Center in Rayne LA. AMSAT will have a booth at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during the event.
Saturday, 15 March 2014 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club‘s Springfest in Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix). AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned. Demonstrations at this hamfest will be done using the call sign W1AW/7 as part of the ARRL centennial commemorations, and QSLing will be handled by ARRL.
Saturday, 29 March 2014 – Radio Society of Tucson‘s 2014 Hamfest in Tucson AZ. AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – The Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest 2014, including the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Expo 2014, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium MD. AMSAT will have a booth at this hamfest, and other AMSAT-related events may be planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – Amateur Radio Club of Parker County‘s Weatherford Hamfest at the Central Christian Church in Weatherford TX (west of Fort Worth). AMSAT will have a table at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during the hamfest.
Monday, 28 April 2014 – presentation at Franklin County Amateur Radio Club meeting in Greenfield MA by Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President)
Saturday, 3 May 2014 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association‘s Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ (southeast of Tucson) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 7 June 2014 – Kachina Amateur Radio Club‘s White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ (eastern Arizona, south of US-60/AZ-77/AZ-260) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Friday and Saturday, 13-14 June 2014 – Ham-Com in Plano TX (north of Dallas)
Thursday through Sunday, 17-20 July 2014 – ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford CT. AMSAT will host a day-long Satellite Workshop on Thursday, and have a booth at the convention along with an AMSAT Forum and demonstrations throughout the convention.
Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 August 2014 – Shelby Hamfest in Shelby NC (west of Gastonia and Charlotte) – Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President) will host an AMSAT Forum on Saturday of this weekend
AMSAT maintains and updated list of known upcoming events at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=218
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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ARISS News
Next planned event(s):
1. A telebridge contact with students at Delaware Township School, Sergeantsville, NJ, USA via VK4KHZ is a go for: Wed 2014-02-19 15:04:25 UTC 45 deg.
Delaware Township School has approximately 400 students in pre- kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a one school district located in a rural township in Hunterdon County, NJ. Our school is named for the Delaware River, which runs through part of our township. Students from Delaware Township School go to high school at Hunterdon Central Regional High School with students from four other sending districts, East Amwell, Readington, and Flemington- Raritan. Something special about our township is that it celebrated its 175th anniversary this past year and the County of Hunterdon is currently celebrating its 300th anniversary during 2014. One of our former residents, Daniel Bray, was instrumental in securing boats for the Continental Army to cross the Delaware River when retreating from the British during the Revolutionary War. Our township also has the last covered bridge in use in New Jersey. Our school is proud of not only its township history but also its attention to science. We have three science labs in our school, one dedicated exclusively to elementary school classes and the other two for middle school classes. Every year we hold a Science Night showcasing student science projects, research, and inventions. Our fifth grade students participate in the Science Olympiad completion every year and have been known to bring home many medals. Many of our students move on to honors science classes in high school. In preparation for this radio contact with the International Space Station, one of our students earned his amateur radio operator license and is helping a classmate to earn his license, too. They will be leading a Radio Club Enrichment program for younger students this year. We are very excited to make this radio contact with the International Space Station.
2. A telebridge contact with students at Fort Belvoir Elementary School, Arlington, VA, USA, hosted by Marymount University is a go for: Wed 2014-02-19 19:02:07 UTC 79 deg.
Fort Belvoir Elementary School (FBES) serves approximately 1,200 students in preK-6th grade, 96 percent of whom who are military dependents. Located on Fort Belvoir, an Army installation, FBES is part of the Fairfax County Public School System and one of the largest elementary schools in the Washington metropolitan area. FBES is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Focus elementary school funded by two consecutive grants from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) totaling more than 3.1 million dollars. The grant program is known as, Operation Patriotic STEM (OPS). OPS has enabled FBES to create a fully equipped STEM Lab and hire a dedicated STEM Focus resource teacher, who provides inquiry-based, hands-on lessons for all students. Additionally, students participate in after-school and summer STEM enrichment programming and families enjoy STEM field trips and STEM family days. These activities are specifically designed to increase students’ enthusiasm for STEM education and potentially encourage them to pursue STEM careers.
The STEM emphasis is further supported through a partnership with Marymount University (MU). MU education and science faculty and students organize hands-on STEM activities for the annual family events such as “Family STEM Day” and the “Science and Engineering Fair and Family Day”. Additionally, MU will begin a new program for the spring semester 2014. MU pre-service teachers will come to FBES for their “Math and Science Methodologies in Education” coursework. Pre-service teachers will be bused to FBES weekly, during the spring semester 2014, where they will be instructed by their professor and then practice their newly acquired skills in the classroom with FBES teachers and students. On the day of the ARISS contact, these students will be present to assist.
3. A telebridge contact with cadets at Australian Air League - South Australia Wing, Elizabeth, South Australia via IK1SLD (***) is a go for: Fri 2014-02-21 08:36:46 30 deg.
We have approximately 100 cadets in South Australia, approximately 25% being female. Currently we have three squadrons here in South Australia. Parafield, Gawler and Port Adelaide. Each squadron meets once a week, but also at many other times throughout the year for other reason, such as ANZAC day, citizenship ceremonies, flying days, camps etc. There are squadrons all over Australia.
The Australian Air League is a youth organisation for boys and girls aged from 8 to 18 years which encourages an interest in aviation as a career or as a hobby for the youth of Australia. The organisation is entirely self-funding and is staffed by volunteers who give their time to achieve its goals.
The aims and objectives of the Australian Air League include: 1. To promote and encourage the development of Aviation in the Youth of Australia 2. To promote good citizenship 3. To promote ingenuity and resourcefulness of its members 4. To develop the physical and mental abilities of its members
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks ARISS for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
Satellites in ARRLs Radio Waves Newsletter
The Winter 2014 edition of Radio Waves, ARRL's e-newsletter for instructors and teachers, is now available.
Among the selection of articles: High School Students Put Packet Radio to Work for Local Environmental Study, Club Boasts Fourfold Increase in New Licensees/Upgrades, Instructor Corner, News, Ideas, Support, and In The Classroom: Teaching Ohm's Law.
The newsletter also features the AMSAT-UK FUNcube satellite project.
Radio Waves aims to provide information that will help educators and instructors with licensing or classroom instruction and to share experiences and stories of other instructors and teachers that may offer ideas for you to incorporate in your own activities.
Download the Winter Radio Waves at http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Radio%20Waves%20Newsletter/Winter%2020 14%20Radio%20Waves.pdf
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above short]
EL96 SO-50 15-16 Feb 2014
John, K8YSE will try to operate on SO-50 from EL96 on Saturday and Sunday, 15 and 16 February as follows:
15Feb2014 1302-1315utc 46deg elev max 15Feb2014 2322-2334utc 31deg elev max
16Feb2014 1149-1201utc 36deg elev max 16Feb2014 2209-2221utc 53deg elev max
The morning passes will have limited visibility to the north, however, I will try to operate from a better location on the late afternoon passes.
I cannot promise that I will be on all passes but I will try.
If you work me and need a card, please send an email to my qrz.com address with qso details. Do not send any SASE's.
[ANS thanks John, K8YSE for the above short]
Fox Satellites Description
(The following is a description of the Fox's satellites that I excerpted from an AMSAT-BB response)
The main point of Fox-2 is to develop and fly an advanced, software defined transponder (SDX.) An SDX can be programmed to be any kind of transponder. It will be a linear, inverting, mode-J transponder by default.
We would also like to try some new and interesting digital modes perhaps including digital voice which would be my personal favorite. That is the tremendous flexibility you get with an SDX. You can change the transponder in software.
ARISSat-1 was our first attempt at an SDX and it worked very well. It could only be programmed on the ground though. The SDX for Fox-2 will be programmable in orbit.
Fox-2 will be a 3U CubeSat (3x the size of Fox-1) providing a lot more power and space for the electronics.
The source of confusion may be because we are building four Fox-1 flight units. The idea is to have them available and ready to fly so we can easily team up with universities that want to fly science missions and get free launches. Building them all at once is also a much cheaper way to build satellites.
All four Fox-1 units will have the same hardware and avionics. The universities will supply their experiment cards and the software can be customized for each satellite as needed.
Once the Fox-1 flight models are built, the engineering team can begin working on Fox-2. That should start this year.
The status of the Fox-1 satellites is as follows:
Fox-1 (Fox-1A) is scheduled to fly on NROL-55.
RadFxSat (Fox-1B) is a joint project with Vanderbilt University. It has already been accepted into the NASA ELaNa program but it has not been assigned a launch yet.
Fox-1C and Fox-1D are not currently assingned.
[ANS thanks Tony Monterio, AA2TX for the above short]
Corrections from ANS-040
In the "Satellites News from the Magazines" report, Hector Martinez CO6CBF/KF5YXV was mistakenly refered to as Victor.
FCC Seeks Comments on WR-2015 Draft Recommendations (Correction)
Last week's article on the FCC seeking comments on WR-2015 Draft Recommendations should have listed the ARRL as the source. In the search for articles, and the many news reflectors that exist on the internet (including the ANS), sometimes the source is misidentified. ANS apologizes for any inconvenience in finding the referenced material. A full reprint is below.
FCC Seeks Comments on WR-2015 Draft Recommendations
The FCC has invited comments by February 18 on the latest batch of draft recommendations of its Advisory Committee for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-2015).
At its January 27 meeting, the Advisory Committee (WAC) approved draft recommendations on a number of issues that will be considered by WRC-2015. Some items, including one which could possibly lead to changes to 60 meters in the long term, could affect the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services.
Of interest to the Amateur Radio Satellite community, WRC-2015 will consider a number of issues that could impact amateur allocations above 420 MHz, including a possible extension of the current worldwide allocation to the Earth Exploration-Satellite service in the band 9300 to 9900 MHz by up to 600 MHz "within the frequency bands 8700 to 9300 MHz and/or 9900 to 10,500 MHz"
Incumbent services in the 9900 to 10,500 MHz range include the Radiolocation, Fixed, Mobile, Amateur, and Amateur-Satellite services.
The Amateur Service is secondary at 10,000 to 10,500 MHz worldwide, and the Amateur-Satellite Service is secondary at 10,450 to 10,500 MHz worldwide.
The FCC said comments provided by interested parties will assist it in its consultations with the US Department of State and NTIA in the development of US positions for WRC-2015. "The recommendations...may evolve in the course of inter-agency discussions as we approach WRC-15 and, therefore, do not constitute a final US Government position on any issue," the FCC Public Notice stressed.
Comments should reference IB Docket 04-286 and specific recommendations by WAC document number. Interested parties may file comments via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at
The ARRL plans to file comments in this proceeding.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-068
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:
* ISS HamTV Success (3-8-2014) * ISS Ham Video now installed and ready for commissioning (3-6-2014) * Satellite TLE Object ID’s * FUNcube-1 (AO-73) 100+ days in orbit * Mass Launch of 437 MHz Satellites * Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL)— A 30th Birthday Celebration For UoSAT-2, OSCAR-11 * Two Close Calls For ZACUBE-1 CubeSat * OSCAR DEMO and Youth Forum MAY 3, 2014 * Upcoming AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-068.01 ANS-068 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 068.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. March 9, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-068.01
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ISS HamTV Success (3-8-2014)
On Saturday, March 8 test transmissions were made on 2422.0 MHz using the HamTV equipment on the International Space Station (ISS).
The Digital TV signal was successfully received and web streamed to a global audience via the Britsh Amateur Television Club (BATC) server at http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4 There were four live web streams each from different receivers.
The HamTV transmitter is the culmination of over ten years work by dedicated volunteers to establish an amateur radio TV transmitter on the ISS. It uses patch antennas fixed on the Meteorite Debris Panels (MDP) protecting the hull of the ISS Columbus module. These antennas were installed while the Columbus module was being constructed. A fund-raising campaign took place during 2005-7 to raise over 65,000 Euros for the antennas. Individual radio amateurs from around the world donated generously as did several organisations including AMSAT- UK and the RSGB.
The main mission of HamTV is to perform contacts between the astronauts on the ISS and school students, not only by voice as now, but also by unidirectional video from the ISS to the ground.
HamVideo is the name of the onboard DATV S-band transmitter. HamTV is the name of the complete system, comprising DATV downlink and VHF voice uplink. Kaiser Italia SRL was the prime-contractor for the design and development of the flight and ground segment http://www.kayser.it/index.php/exploration-2/ham-tv
Read the HamTV overview by Gaston Bertels ON4WF http://tinyurl.com/HamTVoverview
Join the ISS HamTV Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV
Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4
ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins http://www.ariss-eu.org/
HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject
[ANS thanks the HAM-TV comissioning team, ARISS, and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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ISS Ham Video now installed and ready for commissioning (3-6-2014)
The Ham Video transmitter was installed in the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS) on March 6, 2014 at approximately 10.00 UT.
The transmitter was powered on briefly and all control LEDs were nominal. Ham Video is declared ready for Commissioning. The first Commissioning step is planned March 8, 2014. Using call sign OR4ISS, crew will power on the Ham Video transmitter in configuration 1:
- ARISS antenna 41 - Frequency 2.422 GHz - Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s
The transmission will start shortly before the pass of the ISS over Western Europe at approximately 13.27 UT.
Acquisition of signal (AOS) at Matera ground station in south Italy will be at approximately 13.29 UT.
Matera will receive the Ham Video signals with 3 different receivers. The output of each receiver will be web streamed over BATC channels ISS1, ISS2 and ISS3.
The ARISS ground station IK1SLD, located in Northern Italy, will also receive the Ham Video signals and stream the video over BATC channel ISS4.
The BATC server is available at http://www.batc.tv/
On BATC you can do the following:
- select ISS - click on one of the ISS channels - click on Multi screen selector - select the channels you wish to watch - click on Watch.
When multiscreen appears, volume is turned down by default. Turn the volume up using the volume control slider below the image.
During the pass, different configurations will be tested with ARISS antenna 41. After the pass, the Ham Video transmitter will stay powered on in configuration 1 (see above) till the following Commissioning step, which is planned Sunday March 9, 2014 at approximately 12.40 UT.
For about 24 hours, the DATV signal will be transmitted permanently, but the camera will be powered off. The reason is, that the camera is battery powered and no provisions are made for frequent battery replacement. This mode is called “blank” transmission.
Sunday March 9, the transmission will start shortly before the pass of the ISS over Western Europe at approximately 12.39 UT. During Commissioning step 2, different configurations will again be tested, this time with ARISS antenna 43. The Matera ground station and IK1SLD will stream the video over the BATC server.
The plan is to resume blank transmission immediately after the pass over Matera and to continue permanent transmission for one week, till Sunday March 16, 2014. The frequency will remain 2.422 GHz, but antenna ARISS 43 will be used.
Reports on reception of blank transmissions are very welcome. Reports can be filed via this webpage: http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php
Participants using the Tutioune receiving software, developed by Jean Pierre Courjaud F6DZP, can record as well as stream detailed parameters of the received signal. Please see: http://www.vivadatv.org/
Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4
ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins on Facebook http://www.ariss-eu.org/
HamTV https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject
[ANS thanks ARISS's Gaston Bertels, ON4WF and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Satellite TLE Object ID’s
Nico Janssen PA0DLO reports the process of producing Object ID’s for newly launch satellites has changed recently.
Writing on the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) he says:
It seems that the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) has changed some of their policies lately. After the launch of multiple small satellites late last year it took a long time to get them all identified. Apparently they don’t want to leave all the TBAs in their database for a long time, so now they use a different approach: they randomly assign the names of all satellites of a launch to the observed objects and then wait for reactions from the users of the satellites to see if the assignments are correct.
This is how e.g. the Cubesats, that recently were launched from the ISS, got ‘identified’ only a few days after their launch. So of course now we find that some identifications are wrong.
Doppler measurements clearly show that the following IDs are correct: Object 39568, 1998-067EM, is LitSat 1 Object 39569, 1998-067EN, is LituanicaSat 1.
I am trying to get these corrected.
In the past the policy was to assign the ‘A’ object to the main payload of a launch. Secondary payloads, like Cubesats, would then get ‘B’, ‘C’, etc. So if the main payload initially was linked to the wrong TLE set, this required some swapping of TLE sets some time after the launch. Now they have decided to prevent this confusion by simply leaving the main payload assigned to another object than ‘A’ if required. Therefore the GPM satellite now is assigned to 2014-009C and this will not change anymore.
Satellite TLE Lottery Begins http://amsat-uk.org/2014/03/01/satellite-tle-lottery-begins/
Satellite Tracking http://amsat-uk.org/beginners/satellite-tracking/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-BB, AMSAT-UK and Nico Janssen, PA0DLO for the above information]
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FUNcube-1 (AO-73) 100+ days in orbit
Last weekend FUNcube-1 (AO-73) reached the milestone of having been in space for 100 days – actually that should be clarified to mean “terrestrial” days as the spacecraft itself has been subjected to more than 1500 day/night cycles during this time.
We are very grateful to the 500+ stations who have been providing FUNcube-1 telemetry data to our Data Warehouse. We now have more than 1GB of data in the repository – this is an amazing effort and achievement from a spacecraft which is only transmitting at 1200bps. Thanks everyone and please keep it coming:)
From all the telemetry we can see that the spin rate decreased for a time but now is speeding up again. External temperatures span a range of 50C between the end of the sunlit phase and the end of the eclipse period. Even inside the spacecraft the temperatures range over 25C.
All the subsystems continue to work well and are “well in the green”.
The increased solar activity is certainly having an effect on the downlinked signal on many occasions. During such disturbances the signal appears to be being affected by ionospheric scintillation which distorts the BPSK stream and makes decoding much harder for some minutes at a time. This effect is not just apparent near the magnetic poles as can be seen in this paper: http://waas.stanford.edu/papers/IWG/sbas_iono_scintillations_white_pap er.pdf
Users in the Northern hemisphere will have noticed that the evening passes in amateur mode are becoming shorter as the spacecraft enters sunlight again near the pole. This effect will increase as the season progresses and we will be testing a plan to change the operating schedule in a few weeks time. This test will involve placing the spacecraft into continuous amateur/transponder mode for a number of orbits – probably over a weekend.
Especially for educational users of FUNcube, we have placed all our schools outreach material on one page for easy reference. It can now all be found here: http://funcube.org.uk/education-outreach/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Mass Launch of 437 MHz Satellites
The largest ever launch of 437 MHz satellites is planned for March 16 at 0841 UT when 128 Sprite satellites will fly on the SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS 3 mission to be deployed into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. You should be able to watch the launch live on NASA TV.
The project was originally conceived by AMSAT-UK member Michael Johnson M0MJJ at Cornell University. Michael was the first project manager who specified many aspects of the project, making it technically and financially viable. He left the project in 2012 to found PocketSpacecraft.com.
A Sprite is a tiny, 3.5 by 3.5 cm, single-board spacecraft that was developed by Zac Manchester KD2BHC.
Each Sprite has a microcontroller, radio, and solar cells and is capable of carrying single-chip sensors, such as thermometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, and accelerometers.
The 128 Sprites are carried in a 3U CubeSat called KickSat. They are stacked atop a spring-loaded pusher and secured by a nichrome burn wire system.
On reaching orbit KickSat will perform a de-tumble maneuver and establish communication with Cornell University’s ground station. After check-out, the spacecraft will be put in a sun-pointing attitude and spun up to maintain that attitude.
A command signal from the ground station will then trigger the deployment and the Sprites will be released as free-flying spacecraft. After deployment, telemetry and sensor measurements from the individual Sprites will be received through Cornell’s ground station in Ithaca, NY, as well as several other amateur ground stations around the world.
Due to the low orbit Sprites will have a short lifetime before they reenter the atmosphere and burn up. In the best-case scenario the orbital lifetime could be six weeks but realistically it may be considerably shorter depending on atmospheric conditions, maybe a matter of days.
All the Sprites operate on a single frequency of 437.240 MHz and use Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The transmitter runs 10 mW output of Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) modulated binary data with each data bit modulated as a 511 bit Pseudo-Random Number (PRN) sequence. The ITU emission designator is 50K0G1D.
The KickSat CubeSat has downlinks on 437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz.
KickSat Sprite Ground Station by Andy Thomas G0SFJ http://kicksat.wordpress.com/support/kicksat-ground-station/
British Interplanetary Society: Sprite Technical Summary http://www.bis-space.com/2013/03/09/9301/kicksat-technical-summary
KickSat project information http://zacinaction.github.io/kicksat/
BBC Worldwide TV interview with Zak Manchester KD2BHC. Unfortunately this is censored in the UK only overseas viewers can see it. A proxy server may be a way around it. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140128-the-smallest-spacecraft-in- orbit
Check this site for the latest CRS 3 launch date http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/
Pocket Spacecraft http://www.pocketspacecraft.com/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.(SSTL)— A 30th Birthday Celebration For UoSAT-2, OSCAR-11
UoSAT-2 was launched on March 1st, 1984, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the USA and carried some novel payloads, including a "Digitalker".
Today, UoSAT-2 still transmits its VHF telemetry on a regular 11-day cycle, although the satellite’s batteries are exhausted after some 160,000 charge cycles and transmissions are now detectable only when it is in sunlight. However, the telemetry continues to be tracked by amateur radio satellite enthusiasts worldwide, using the predictable transmissions to help calibrate their equipment.
Following the successful first microsatellite launch of UoSAT-1 from the Surrey team in 1981, NASA again offered a second launch opportunity—but with only 6 months warning! Rising to the challenge and literally working day-and-night, the Surrey team comprising about a dozen researchers and AMSAT members designed and built the 70kg UoSAT-2 microsatellite just in time for the launch as a ‘piggyback’ passenger with NASA’s LANDSAT-5. Incorporating many of the lessons learned from their first satellite, UoSAT-2 carried some novel experiments – a “Digitalker” speech synthesizer, specifically designed for school demonstrations of satellite telemetry and orbital physics, alongside experiments including magnetometers, an early CCD camera, a Geiger tube and a sensitive microphone to detect micro- meteoroid impacts.
In the days before GPS, UoSAT-2 provided a novel communication system for the 1988 Canadian-Soviet Ski-trek arctic expedition, a group of intrepid explorers from Canada and the USSR who crossed the Arctic Ocean from Siberia to Ward Hunt Island, just off Canada, via the North Pole between March and June 1988. The position of the skiers’ emergency beacon was calculated daily by US and Soviet COSPAS- SARSAT ground stations, relayed to the Surrey Mission Control Groundstation by telex, and uploaded to the UoSAT-2 Digitalker which then ‘spoke’ the latitude and longitude of the ski party via its VHF beacon. In a sun-synchronous, 650km low Earth orbit, UoSAT-2 flew over the pole every 98 minutes at which point the group could receive the broadcast from the satellite using their small handheld VHF radios that were designed to work at very low temperatures. The Digitalker communications system could also serve as an emergency channel in the event that all other radio links failed. Thousands of amateur radio listeners and schoolchildren also monitored the spoken messages from the Digitalker and plotted the path of the expedition – many using the then state-of-the-art BBC microcomputer! There’s more about the Ski-trek expedition, and a recording of the Digitalker, on the expedition home page at
http://www.meerman.fsnet.co.uk/NorthPole/textpan.html
UoSAT-2 was one of the first satellites to prove that commercial grade microprocessors and memory chips, which had only just become readily available, mass produced and cheaper in the early 80s as part of the microcomputer revolution, could be used to build small, cost- effective yet capable satellites. The idea of taking advantage of commercially available technology and adapting it for space, instead of using expensive ‘space-grade’ components, was virtually unheard of at the time, but SSTL proved the concept was viable and has gone on to build a highly successful business.
Today, UoSAT-2 is the longest-serving of 13 satellites that SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre track from ground stations in Guildford, UK.
SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre have come very long way from those early days of the 1980s!
The SSTL infosite may be accessed at
[ANS thanks SatNews Daily and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Two Close Calls For ZACUBE-1 CubeSat
The amateur radio ZACUBE-1 satellite, launched with FUNcube-1 on November 21, 2013, recently had two close encounters with space debris. The ZACUBE-1 team have issued this press release:
Week nine of the year will go down as quite an eventful week for ZACUBE-1 (TshepisoSat), literally dodging two bullets involving speeds in the kilometres per second range.
The first close approach notification arrived the morning of 25 February 2014 from the United States Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) through the The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) (A close approach notification is generated by the JSpOC to warn spacecraft operators when their spacecraft will come in close proximity to another object). The first order of business was the identification of the other object. In this case “SCC# 21422?. Our dance of death would be with the, now defunct, 2000 kg Russian built COSMOS 2151 launched in 1991. As ZACUBE-1 carries no propulsion system and with the COSMOS 2151 no longer functioning the only course of action was to closely monitor the situation.
It was determined that the close approach event would occur over the Antarctic and a search was started for possible ground stations that could listen for signals from ZACUBE-1 directly after the event. Help arrived in the form of our friends from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The Cal Poly ground station would see ZACUBE-1 approximately 30 minutes after the event and be able to listen for its transmitted telemetry beacon signal. In preparation ZACUBE-1 would be tracked and checked on the last two passes over South Africa (22:50 SAST 26/02/2014 and 00:26 SAST 27/02/2014) a few hours before the event to ensure that everything was OK and then again by the Cal Poly station.
With everything checking out and all systems nominal on the last pass over South Africa all we could do was wait for news from California.
Great success! With Cal Poly confirming that ZACUBE-1 was alive and well. We were able to further confirm this on the first pass over South Africa.
This would have been enough excitement for the week, but soon after verifying that ZACUBE-1 was OK we received our second close approach notification! This time involving a piece of debris from a METEOR 2-5 satellite. The plan would be much the same, but with the event taking place over Brazil we tried to make contact with some stations in Brazil. Unfortunately nothing was heard over Brazil, but we received notification of ZACUBE-1's signal from the University of Florida and again from the California Polytechnic State University.
We would like to thank everyone that helped out during this time, hopefully I did not leave anybody out. The folks from Cal Poly, University of Florida, the Brazilian radio amateurs that tried on very short notice and SANSA.
ZACUBE-1 carries a UHF beacon on 437.345 MHz and an HF beacon on 14099 kHz used to characterise the Superdarn antennas at the Antarctic which study the ionosphere.
ZACUBE-1 information http://www.cput.ac.za/fsati http://www.amsatsa.org.za/
First image captured by TshepisoSat (ZACUBE-1) http://amsat-uk.org/2013/12/15/first-image-captured-by-tshepisosat- zacube-1/
[ANS thanks SatNews Daily and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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OSCAR DEMO and Youth Forum MAY 3, 2014
The K4AMG Memorial Amateur Radio Club, Inc. in Chesapeake, Virginia is sponsoring a OSCAR Satellite seminar and OSCAR Demo at the Deep Creek Public Library on May 3rd. Our portable OSCAR station will be operational from 0900 - at least 1700 EDT. An OSCAR and Youth Forum will be held in the main meeting room of the library at 1500 EDT.
We will feature an amateur radio display inside. AMSAT- NA will provide a CUBE SAT simulator.
SATCOMS will be on OSCAR SATs: FO 29, VO 52, SO 50, and AO 7 if available. We will listen for AO 73 and the International Space Station.
We also plan to have a HF "GOTA" station on the air. Please Join us, You've "GOTA" Get on the AIR
[ANS thanks Rich, W4BUE for the above information]
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Upcoming AMSAT Events
Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations).
Friday and Saturday, 14-15 March 2014 – Acadiana Amateur Radio Association‘s Rayne Hamfest and ARRL Delta Division Convention at the Rayne Civic Center in Rayne LA. AMSAT will have a booth at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during the event.
Saturday, 15 March 2014 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club‘s Springfest in Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix). AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned. Demonstrations at this hamfest will be done using the call sign W1AW/7 as part of the ARRL centennial commemorations, and QSLing will be handled by ARRL.
Saturday, 29 March 2014 – Radio Society of Tucson‘s 2014 Hamfest in Tucson AZ. AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – The Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest 2014, including the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Expo 2014, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium MD. AMSAT will have a booth at this hamfest, and other AMSAT-related events may be planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – Amateur Radio Club of Parker County‘s Weatherford Hamfest at the Central Christian Church in Weatherford TX (west of Fort Worth). AMSAT will have a table at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during the hamfest.
Monday, 28 April 2014 – presentation at Franklin County Amateur Radio Club meeting in Greenfield MA by Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President)
Saturday, 3 May 2014 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association‘s Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ (southeast of Tucson) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 7 June 2014 – Kachina Amateur Radio Club‘s White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ (eastern Arizona, south of US-60/AZ-77/AZ-260) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Friday and Saturday, 13-14 June 2014 – Ham-Com in Plano TX (north of Dallas)
Thursday through Sunday, 17-20 July 2014 – ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford CT. AMSAT will host a day-long Satellite Workshop on Thursday, and have a booth at the convention along with an AMSAT Forum and demonstrations throughout the convention.
Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 August 2014 – Shelby Hamfest in Shelby NC (west of Gastonia and Charlotte) – Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President) will host an AMSAT Forum on Saturday of this weekend
Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (north of the city center, near Montgomery Field airport & I-805/CA-163 interchange) – AMSAT will have a booth at this convention, there will be on-air demonstrations using satellites throughout the convention, and a presentation on amateur satellites and AMSAT
AMSAT maintains and updated list of known upcoming events at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=218
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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ARISS News
Recent Contacts:
A direct contact between astronaut Mike Hopkins KF5LJG and students at Rock Bridge Elementary School, Columbia, MO, USA was successful Wed 2014-03-05.
A direct contact with students at Central Square Middle School in Central Square, NY, USA was successful Mon 2014-03-03.
A direct contact with students at Musashino Elementary School of Hamura-shi, Hamura, Japan was successful Sat 2014-03-01.
A direct contact with students at Exploration Place, Wichita, KS, USA via WØSOE was successful Fri 2014-02-28.
Next planned event(s):
1. A direct contact with students at H. J. Cambie Secondary, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, via VE7RAR is a go for: Thu 2014-03-13 17:04:41 UTC 54 deg.
HJ Cambie Secondary is a public school in the Richmond School District in British Columbia. We enroll approximately 700 students from grade 8-12. Cambie is comprised of a diverse cultural population of students. The student population of Cambie is composed of many different cultures along with thirty different language groups – 67% of our student population speaks a language other than English at home.
Cambie students are known for being strong leaders in our community. We offer a variety of courses in Mathematics, Sciences, Social Studies, the Arts, Business Ed, Athletics, and Modern Languages. Cambie has a thriving Leadership program that begins in Gr 8 with our Pathways program. Students in our leadership program give back a great deal to our community and fundraise for local charities. We have a strong Health Science program with work experience opportunities for our students and First responder training. In addition, Cambie has a world-class robotics club who competed at the World Robotics Championships last year in Orlando.
Cambie students are comparing the uniqueness of the ARISS contact to the first steps on the moon! This is a once in a lifetime experience for them and big on the "coolness factor"!!! We feel like we have won the lottery! This opportunity has brought a new energy to our classrooms. The staff and students are engaging in learning on levels that transcend the classroom walls. Music classes are performing space theme songs, computer CADD classes are designing digital mission patches, foods classes are learning about nutrition in space and our Health Science students are discussing how physiology is affected with space travel! The engagement opportunities the ARISS contact has provided our school are endless. We are celebrating the March 2014 ARISS contact with a 1.5 hour live show with speakers from MDA (makers of the Canadarm) and Urthecast (who’s cameras were just installed on the ISS), and interactive shows from Science World and the HR MacMillan Science Centre. Our ARISS contact is being video simulcast to a second gym in our school (where many elementary students are also joining us), and broadcast to the web where other schools across the district (and world) will be watching the live video feed!
2. A direct contact with students at Warren Consolidated Schools, Warren, MI, USA via W8HP is a go for: Fri 2014-03-14 16:22:57 UTC 59 deg.
The mission of the Warren Consolidated Schools (WCS) district, in partnership with families and community, is to achieve a level of excellence in teaching and learning which enables all students to become knowledgeable, productive, ethical, and successful citizens. To help meet that goal, WCS supports programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which give students a real hands- on experience in education.
The Middle School Mathematics Science Technology Center [(MS)2TC] has been built on the Warren Consolidated Schools district's internationally successful high school, the Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center (MMSTC). While the high school program integrates seamlessly mathematics, science and technology, the middle school program integrates mathematics, science and informational literacy (reading and writing) with technology infused into each area. Both programs provide students with real-world, project-based learning activities that challenge their thinking, broadens their understanding of the world, and stretches their knowledge base while meeting the developmental needs of the students they serve.
The (MS)2TC student population consists of students from five different middle schools within the WCS district while the MMSTC student population draws from eleven different school districts within the county of Macomb in southeastern Michigan. Both schools serve a diverse community of students who come from various socioeconomic and ethnic groups.
The program goals of the MMSTC and (MS)2TC are to research, design, implement, and develop a powerful, unique learning environment and experience for high achieving students at the middle school and high school level that integrates mathematics, science, English language arts, and technology. To achieve this goal we have created a curriculum framework based upon the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which integrates mathematics and literacy standards mirrored in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks ARISS for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
N5AFV Upcoming Operation from California DM13
Thursday, March 13, 2014 through Sunday March 16, 2014 N5AFV will be in southern California DM13. Plans are to operate SO-50 passes when the schedule permits. Operating equipment will be an Icom W32A HT with a telescoping AL800 antenna. Satellite regulars N6NUG and WA6DIR are often active from DM12 and DM14 respectively, but DM13 is not activated as frequently on the satellites.
Great Houston Hamfest Activities
The Houston AMSAT Group will have an AMSAT booth and satellite demonstrations at the Greater Houston Hamfest on Saturday March 22, 2014. The satellite demonstrations will take place during the morning hours probably on FO-29 and SO-50. Other satellites may also be used if conditions permit. The Greater Houston Hamfest continues to grow and attendance is approaching one thousand persons.
[ANS thanks Allen Mattis, N5AFV for the above information]
HAM TV commissioning, Web-Video Link
Video from the HAM-TV Control Room in Italy during the commissioning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_tYmZOoRn4
[ANS thanks ARISS and Francesco, IK0WGF for the above information]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-089
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:
* FUNcube-1 / AO-73 Transponder Test – March 29 * Eighth Annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Speaker Announced * AMSAT Awards Announced * Radar outage prompts delay of Falcon 9 launch * Lithuanian President’s greetings message sent from space * PRN codes for KickSat Sprites released * New frequency for Ukrainian PolyITAN-1 CubeSat * Upcoming AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-089.01 ANS-089 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 089.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. March 30, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-089.01
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FUNcube-1 / AO-73 Transponder Test – March 29
Results of last weekend’s tests: the transponder was maintained ON for two orbits, and we did not see any noticeable fall in battery temperature.
We are therefore proposing to repeat the test on Saturday, March 29, but leave the transponder on for a longer period. We will switch it on during the first pass over the UK (approx 10:30 UT) and switch it off during one of the evening passes over UK, the first of which is at approx 20:00 UT.
We are particularly interested to receive TLM when the satellite is coming out of eclipse (i.e. when it should be at its coldest temperature). So reception from suitably located stations would be very welcome.
FUNcube website http://www.funcube.org.uk/
FUNcube Yahoo Group http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/yahoo-group/
FUNcube Forum http://forum.funcube.org.uk/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Eighth Annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Speaker Announced
The eighth annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held on Friday night, May 16. This dinner is always a highlight of the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) and TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) activities during the Dayton Hamvention.
This year's speaker will be Dr. Tom Clark, K3IO, 'Sixty Years a Slave (to Amateur Radio)'.
Tom received his Ph.D. in Astro-Geophysics from the University of Colorado, served as Chief of the Astronomy Branch at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, was a Senior Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, has been active in both AMSAT and TAPR, and holds an Extra Class license. Along with Bob McGwier, N4HY he developed the first amateur DSP hardware, including a number of modems. He developed the uplink receivers and the spacecraft LAN architecture used on all the Microsats (Oscars 16, 17, 18, 19, 26, 27 and 31). Tom was inducted into the initial class of CQ Magazine's Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2001. Professionally, he is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Society and the International Association of Geodesy. In 2005 he was the first non-Russian to be awarded the Special Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the international Very Long Baseline Interferometry network.
Tickets ($30 each) must be purchased online by May 13th on the AMSAT website at www.amsat.org through the AMSAT Store tab. Tickets will not be sold at the Hamvention or at the door. Tickets purchased online may be collected at the AMSAT booth (433-435, 444-446). The Banquet will take place at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429 (just south of Dayton). The cash bar will open at 1830 EDT, with the dinner commencing around 1900 EDT.
[ANS thanks Steve Belter, N9IP for the above announcement]
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AMSAT Awards Announced
Here is our latest induction into some of the AMSAT awards community.
The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO. Alan Ehrenberg, N9EDV Benjamin Gaston, KV4RH Scott Medbury, KD5FBA Doug Birky, KB8M Richard Manderski, W2SKI Eric Stapleton, VA7TU
The following have earned the AMSAT Communications Achievement Award. Richard Manderski, W2SKI, #562
The following have earned the South Africa Satellite Communications Achievement Award. Richard Manderski, W2SKI, #US190
To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html
[ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO for the above announcement]
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Radar outage prompts delay of Falcon 9 launch
SpaceX's launch of a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station has been delayed from Sunday after a critical U.S. Air Force rocket tracking radar was knocked offline, officials said late Wednesday.
The radar is part of the Air Force-run Eastern Range, a network of tracking, communications and safety assets stretching from Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
Sources said Air Force officials are trying to repair the radar after a fire damaged it. The radar is located near Cape Canaveral, but an Air Force spokesperson did not respond to multiple inquiries on the nature of the problem and how long it would take to fix.
The radar outage already forced United Launch Alliance to delay the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload to no earlier than April 10. Liftoff of the Atlas 5, which was already rolled out to the launch pad, was scheduled for Tuesday.
Engineers will return the Atlas 5 rocket to its nearby integration building Thursday to wait for another launch attempt.
A new target launch date for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was not available late Wednesday, but a company spokesperson confirmed the Air Force would be unable to support a launch attempt Sunday night.
Engineers had analyzed differences between the Atlas 5 and Falcon 9 rocket, including the configurations of the launch pads and the speed at which the launchers take off, to see if the boosters could fly without the damaged radar, a source said.
The SpaceX cargo resupply flight to the space station must be scheduled around other visiting vehicles. A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft is set to launch and dock to the space station April 9, so any delay of more than a few days will likely cause the SpaceX launch to slip to mid-April, at the earliest.
The Falcon 9 launch was previously delayed from March 16 to review contamination on thermal blankets inside the Dragon spacecraft's unpressurized cargo bay. SpaceX says the review showed the blankets were acceptable to fly without changes.
The Dragon spacecraft will deliver 2.4 tons of equipment to the space station.
Most of the payloads are packed inside the Dragon's pressurized cabin, including 1,576 pounds of science and research equipment, 1,049 pounds of crew supplies, 449 pounds of vehicle hardware, and 271 pounds of spacewalk tools.
The space station crew will unload the gear inside the Dragon spacecraft's internal module.
Two larger payload packages inside the Dragon's unpressurized section will be removed and stowed on the space station using the outpost's Canadian robotic arm and Dextre robot.
The optical communications and high-definition video systems carried inside the Dragon's external trunk are the first large unpressurized NASA experiments assigned for delivery to the space station by SpaceX.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to remain attached to the space station for about one month.
The cargo delivery mission is SpaceX's third operational resupply flight under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA covering 12 missions through 2016.
(ANS thanks Stephan Clark, Spaceflightnow.com for the above article)
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Lithuanian President’s greetings message sent from space
A greetings message from the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, has been transmitted by the amateur radio satellite LituanicaSAT-1. She is believed to be the first President of any nation to have a greetings message sent from space since President Eisenhower in 1958.
In 2013 the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite. visited the Science Communication and Information Center (SCIC) at Vilnius University. There she saw the amateur radio CubeSat LituanicaSAT-1. Using a handheld radio and the call sign LY5N she transmitted through the satellite’s FM voice transponder.
Her words “Greetings to all Lithuanians around the world” were recorded on a memory chip in the satellite and the message was successfully transmitted from space on March 22, 2014 at 04:17:38 UT.
LituanicaSAT-1 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on January 9, 2014 and was deployed with other amateur radio satellites on February 28.
The tiny satellite is just 10x10x10 cm with a mass of 1.090 kg yet it has a VGA camera and a 145/435 MHz FM voice transponder, designed and built by Lithuanian radio amateurs.
The prototype of the FM repeater has been operating in the home of its designer Žilvinas Batisa LY3H in Elektre.nai, Lithuania. Further information at http://ly3h.epalete.com/?p=303
LituanicaSAT-1 CubeSat http://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/27/lituanicasat-1-cubesat/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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PRN codes for KickSat Sprites released
Zac Manchester KD2BHC has posted another update on the KickSat CubeSat which will carry 104 tiny Sprite satellites into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. The launch will be broadcast live on NASA TV, which will also be streaming on Ustream.
UPDATE: The launch has been postponed, see http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/009/140327delay/
For latest date check http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/
The primary launch date for the SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS 3 mission from the Kennedy Space Center scheduled for March 31 at 0250 GMT has been cancelled, no new launch date has been set.
Zac says “Since a laptop can only decode one or two Sprite signals at a time, I’ve also been busy getting our radio upload page set up so that you can record a pass without having to decode it in real- time, upload the .wav file, and have all 104 Sprite signals decoded on our server with the results emailed back to you. This will also help our team collect as much data as possible from around the world. The page will be live before launch.”
All of the 104 Sprite satellites transmit on the same frequency. Each Sprite has a unique pair of Pseudo-Random Number (PRN) codes that it encodes its transmissions with, allowing a receiver to tell the Sprites apart (this is known as CDMA). A list of all Sprite PRN codes codes is available at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArAGbHISj5okdEhBbkZiWGxBS jNmcEs4ZkgwMmNsUEE&usp=sharing
KickSat Google Group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum
KickSat Sprite Ground Station by Andy Thomas G0SFJ http://kicksat.wordpress.com/support/kicksat-ground-station/
British Interplanetary Society: Sprite Technical Summary http://www.bis-space.com/2013/03/09/9301/kicksat-technical-summary
KickSat Amateur Radio Information https://github.com/zacinaction/kicksat/wiki/Radio-Info
Setting up a ground station https://github.com/zacinaction/kicksat/wiki/Setting-Up-A-Ground- Station
Watch a video of the planned deployment at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/03/03/mass-launch-of-437-mhz-satellites/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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New frequency for Ukrainian PolyITAN-1 CubeSat
The IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel have announced a new frequency for the Ukrainian amateur radio CubeSat PolyITAN-1, planned to launch from Yasny in Russia.
IARU say the new frequency of 437.675 MHz was needed to avoid interference occurring with another spacecraft on the same launch.
PolyITAN-1 was built by students at the Kiev National University “KPI” in cooperation with the Ukrainian ham radio community.
The mission is to launch Ukrainian educational satellite build by KPI students and space exploration enthusiasts. Specific mission targets are: • Develop, build, test, launch and operate a Ukrainian small satellite platform based on the CubeSat standard. • Conduct mission experiments with following payloads: . o Sun sensor . o Attitude position and orientation system including system software . o Test on-board GLONASS/GPS navigation subsystem • Build ground segment infrastructure for satellite communication • Develop and test onboard and ground telecommunication software, implement telecommunication protocols • Establish cooperation between educational institute, space agency(s) and various government authorities, Ham radio community
PolyITAN-1 is a 1U CubeSat which will have a 1200 bps AFSK AX25 600 mW downlink on 437.675 MHz. It will also have a CW beacon (EM0UKPI).
Architecture Design of PolyITAN-1 http://congress.cimne.com/eucass2013/admin/files/fileabstract/a272.pdf
PolyITAN-1 in Google English http://tinyurl.com/PolyITAN-1 Original text http://amsat.at.ua/
UY2RA Blog Post http://tinyurl.com/UY2RA-Blog-Post
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Upcoming AMSAT Events
Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations).
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – The Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest 2014, including the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Expo 2014, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium MD. AMSAT will have a booth at this hamfest, and other AMSAT-related events may be planned.
Saturday, 5 April 2014 – Amateur Radio Club of Parker County‘s Weatherford Hamfest at the Central Christian Church in Weatherford TX (west of Fort Worth). AMSAT will have a table at this event, and there may be satellite demonstrations during the hamfest.
Monday, 28 April 2014 – presentation at Franklin County Amateur Radio Club meeting in Greenfield MA by Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President)
Saturday, 3 May 2014 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association‘s Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ (southeast of Tucson) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 7 June 2014 – Kachina Amateur Radio Club‘s White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ (eastern Arizona, south of US-60/AZ-77/AZ-260) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Friday and Saturday, 13-14 June 2014 – Ham-Com in Plano TX (north of Dallas)
Thursday through Sunday, 17-20 July 2014 – ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford CT. AMSAT will host a day-long Satellite Workshop on Thursday, and have a booth at the convention along with an AMSAT Forum and demonstrations throughout the convention.
Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 August 2014 – Shelby Hamfest in Shelby NC (west of Gastonia and Charlotte) – Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President) will host an AMSAT Forum on Saturday of this weekend
Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (north of the city center, near Montgomery Field airport & I-805/CA-163 interchange) – AMSAT will have a booth at this convention, there will be on-air demonstrations using satellites throughout the convention, and a presentation on amateur satellites and AMSAT
AMSAT maintains and updated list of known upcoming events at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=218
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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ARISS News
Recent Contacts:
A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at Melbourne Grammar School – Grimwade House, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia was successful Tue 2014-03-25 08:43:15 UTC 79 deg. Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA answered 20 questions for students.
Melbourne Grammar School – Grimwade House is a co-educational Primary School with 650 students aged from 5 to 12 years old. Grimwade House bases its education on the Australian Curriculum. One of the Major Learning Areas outlined in the Australian Curriculum is Science. Grimwade House is fortunate to have a purpose built Science room and a teacher who is dedicated to and passionate about the teaching of Science. All students from Prep to Year 4 have one lesson of Science per week and Year 5 and Year 6 students have a double lesson of Science each fortnight.
Lesson topics: - Students investigate features of the Earth’s interior - Students investigate the relative distances of the planets in our solar system - Students investigate constellations seen in the night skies in the Southern Hemisphere - Students investigate shadows and their relationship to light sources in Space - Students investigate propulsion - Students investigate insulation and other elements astronauts need to consider when exploring our place in Space.
Next planned event(s): Events will resume in April
There are no ARISS planned ARISS contacts due to crew schedules and resupply mission schedules.
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks ARISS for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
Chichijima Island Satellite Operation Planned
Makoto, JI5RPT, will once again be active as JD1BLY from Chichijima Island (AS-031), Ogasawara, between April 27th and May 5th. Activity will be on 40-6 meters, including the satellites, using CW, SSB and the Digital modes (NO 6m EME). QSL via his home callsign JI5RPT. His log search will be available on his Web site at: http://www.ji5rpt.com/jd1 He will also use Twitter to inform his real-time activities at: http://twitter.com/jd1bly
[ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1155]
Registration for SA AMSAT Symposium Now Open
Registration for the SA AMSAT space symposium is now open. The sym- posium will be held on Saturday 24 May 2014 at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria. You get discounts for booking early and if you are an SARL or SA AMSAT member. Get all details on www.amsatsa.org.za
[ANS thanks the SARL NEWS SUNDAY 23 MARCH 2014]
New ISS Position weblink
ISS link where you can find live public data of the ISS yaw, pitch and roll angles:
http://spacestationlive.nasa.gov/displays/adcoDisplay2.html
[ANS thanks ARISS and Gaston, ON4WF for the above information]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-110
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:
* Successful launch of KickSat carrying 104 Sprite satellites * Space-X Dragon Cargo Craft set to dock with ISS * KickSat Project Announces Telemetry Download Competition * Space-X supply ship begins journey to space station * The STELAR Project 2014 * KickSat launch postponed until Friday * Video of ISS HamTV – Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA April 13, 2014 * Upcoming AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-110.01 ANS-110 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 110.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. April 20, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-110.01
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Successful launch of KickSat carrying 104 Sprite satellites
Five CubeSats including KicksSat which carries 104 Sprite satellites on 437 MHz were successfully launched by the SpaceX CRS-3 mission on Friday, April 18 at 19:25:22 UT.
Zac Manchester KD2BHC says: After a beautiful launch KickSat was deployed in low Earth orbit. We at Cornell and several amateur radio operators around the world have made contact with the spacecraft and it is alive and well. I can’t thank all of you enough for your tremendous support over the past two years. Thank you for believing in KickSat!
This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and is a huge milestone, but we’re not done yet. In 16 days the Sprites will deploy from KickSat. We need as many people as possible listening in, so if you’re interested, please check out the wiki and our mailing list for more information. As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with questions.
The CubeSats KickSat, SporeSat, TSAT, PhoneSat-v2.5 and ALL- STAR/THEIA were deployed into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit.
All the Sprites operate on a single frequency of 437.240 MHz and use Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The transmitter runs 10 mW output of Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) modulated binary data with each data bit modulated as a 511 bit Pseudo-Random Number (PRN) sequence. The ITU emission designator is 50K0G1D.
The KickSat CubeSat has downlinks on 437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz.
Wiki https://github.com/zacinaction/kicksat/wiki
KickSat mailing list https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/kicksat- gs
Kicksat Updates https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacinaction/kicksat-your- personal-spacecraft-in-space/posts
PRN codes for KickSat Sprites released http://amsat- uk.org/2014/03/23/prn-codes-for-kicksat-sprites-released/
Preliminary TLE’s are at http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~ops/crs3_tle/
Frequencies of the other CubeSats can be found at http://www.cubesat.org/index.php/missions/upcoming-launches/139-crs3- launch-alert
CRS-3 Payloads http://www.spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx-3-cargo- overview.html
Zarya http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Launches/Launches.php?year=2014#022
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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Space-X Dragon Cargo Craft set to dock with ISS
A Dragon cargo craft stuffed with science and supplies is approaching the International Space Station for an automated laser- guided final approach Sunday, culminating with grapple by the outpost's robotic arm shortly after 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).
The SpaceX-owned spaceship is carrying about 4,600 pounds of cargo to reinforce the space station's stocks of research experiments, crew provisions and spare parts.
Since launching Friday at 3:25 p.m. EDT (1925 GMT), the Dragon spacecraft has fired its Draco thrusters to adjust its orbit to match that of the space station, setting up the final rendezvous sequence.
By about 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT), the Dragon spacecraft will be about 28 kilometers, or 17 miles, below and behind the space station. At that range, the Dragon should be within range of a UHF communications panel the space station's crew can use to issue simple commands to the supply ship in the event of a problem.
Several height-adjustment and midcourse correction rocket burns will fine-tune Dragon's rendezvous, guiding the ship into position 350 meters, or about 1,150 feet, directly beneath the space station at 5:13 a.m. EDT (0913 GMT).
The Dragon will initially rely on relative GPS navigation data to guide its approach to the space station. Once directly beneath the complex, its computers will switch to laser and thermal sensors.
Dragon carries a laser guidance sensor package and two thermal cameras to aid its final rendezvous with the space station.
Before leaving the initial hold point 1,150 feet beneath the space station, the cargo craft will conduct a 180-degree yaw maneuver to align its grapple fixture with the position of the space station's robot arm.
Soon after beginning its final approach sequence, the Dragon spacecraft will halt again at a hold position 250 meters, or 820 feet, below the space station. This brief hold allows ground controllers to assess the status of the rendezvous and issue a "go" for the Dragon to enter the so-called keep-out sphere, an imaginary circle around the space station in which traffic is tightly controlled for safety reasons.
The timeline calls for the Dragon spacecraft to depart the 250-meter hold point around 5:39 a.m. EDT (0939 GMT), pausing again at a 30- meter hold position before pressing on to a final point about 10 meters, or 33 feet, beneath the space station.
Arrival at the final hold point is scheduled around 6:56 a.m. EDT (1056 GMT).
Astronauts Koichi Wakata and Rick Mastracchio will monitor the final phase of the Dragon's approach, including manning the space station's robotic arm to grapple the free-flying cargo craft. Grapple is scheduled for 7:14 a.m. EDT (1114 GMT). Once the Dragon is firmly snared by the robotic arm, the 58-foot Canadarm will move the capsule into position for berthing with the Earth-facing port on the space station's Harmony module around 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345 GMT).
[ANS thanks Spaceflightnow.com for the above announcement]
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KickSat Project Announces Telemetry Download Competition
Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, of the KickSat project is offering prizes to the first stations to copy telemetry from KickSat and the "Sprite" satellites it will deploy.
"I'll be offering prizes to the first several people who receive telemetry packets from KickSat as well as the first few who receive signals from the Sprites," the Cornell University aerospace engineering graduate student has announced. "The prizes will include souvenir Sprites, and CRS-3 and ELaNa-V mission patches."
KickSat's Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, offers a whimsical boost to the delayed SpaceX launcher at Cape Canaveral.
The KickSat will go into space with the third SpaceX ISS resupply mission, which was delayed at least until April 18. If all goes according to plan, the 3U KickSat CubeSat subsequently will release more than 100 Sprite satellites -- each about the size of a small cracker -- into orbit. They will become the smallest Earth-orbiting satellites ever.
For KickSat telemetry (437.505 MHz and 2401-2436.2 MHz), Manchester wants the raw hex or ASCII packet data, "and I have to be able to successfully decode it." For the Sprites, he wants a raw baseband recording, "and I have to be able to decode at least one Sprite signal from it." All of the Sprites are on the same frequency -- 437.240 MHz. Manchester said he is the final judge on winners, and he'll continue to offer prizes, "until I run out of cool swag." To get in on the fun, Manchester said, visit the KickSat Wiki and sign up for the KickSat mailing list.
[ANS thanks the 4/17/2014 ARRL Letter for the above announcement]
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Space-X supply ship begins journey to space station
SpaceX's commercial Dragon supply ship thundered into orbit Friday to begin a two-day pursuit of the International Space Station, setting up the delivery of 2.4 tons of fresh supplies and experimental cargo to the 450-ton research complex Sunday.
The Dragon spacecraft, flying on SpaceX's third operational resupply run to the space station, lifted off at 3:25:21 p.m. EDT (1925:21 GMT) from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad, initially rising slowly as its Falcon 9 rocket powered up to more than 1 million pounds of thrust.
The launcher picked up speed, breaking the sound barrier about 70 seconds after liftoff and rocketing through the stratosphere before releasing its nine-engine first stage less than 3 minutes into the flight.
The first stage fell away, leaving the upper stage's single Merlin 1D engine to accelerate the rocket and Dragon payload into orbit as the vehicle flew northeast from Cape Canaveral, paralleling the U.S. East Coast to reach the space station's exact orbital inclination.
The 12-foot-diameter first stage was programmed to ignite its engines two times during its fall back into the Atlantic Ocean, slowing its velocity before deploying four landing legs made of carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb.
Friday's launch was the first Falcon 9 rocket to fly with landing legs.
Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO and chief designer, posted an update Friday night on Twitter saying the first stage made a good landing despite high waves in the recovery zone a few hundred miles northeast of Cape Canaveral.
"Data upload from tracking plane shows landing in Atlantic was good! Several boats enroute through heavy seas," Musk tweeted, adding a few minutes later that the first stage's flight computers continued transmitting for 8 seconds after reaching the water, an indication the rocket must have splashed down with minimal damage.
SpaceX says the experimental first stage recovery is a stepping stone toward reusing the Falcon 9 rocket, which Musk says is critical for reducing the cost of space transportation.
While the first stage's return maneuvers garnered much attention during a post-flight press conference Friday, the mission's primary goal is to resupply the space station, reinforcing the orbiting outpost's dwindling food inventory and delivering fresh experiments for researchers.
"I'm feeling pretty excited," Musk told reporters in a telephone call from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. "This is a happy day. Most important of all is that we did a good job for NASA ... Everything else is secondary to that."
The mission is SpaceX's third resupply run to the space station, coming after successful flights in October 2012 and March 2013 to kick off the execution of a $1.6 billion logistics contract with NASA. Signed in December 2008, the deal covers 12 missions for the delivery of a cumulative 44,000 pounds of cargo to the space station.
After reaching orbit Friday, the Dragon spaceship deployed from the Falcon 9's second stage about 10 minutes after liftoff, receding from the view of an on-board "rocketcam" backdropped by the muted blue colors of the ocean splashed against the stark blackness of space.
The spacecraft automatically unfurled two power-generating solar arrays with a wingspan of 54 feet.
SpaceX engineers initially ran into a problem with the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system, causing the capsule to miss an appointed engine burn to set up for its two-day chase of the space station.
But Musk said the glitch, traced to an isolation valve, was bypassed by the use of a backup valve and the cargo mission was on track to reach the space station early Sunday.
Late Friday, the Dragon spacecraft opened its navigation bay door, exposing the ship's laser and thermal guidance sensors to be used in the final phase of its approach to the space station.
Controllers plan a series of orbit-raising burns over the next day- and-a-half, leading to the arrival of Dragon in the vicinity of the complex in the predawn hours Sunday, U.S. time.
The spaceship will approach the space station from below, eventually pausing about 30 feet beneath the complex while astronauts Koichi Wakata and Rick Mastracchio snare Dragon with a robotic arm.
Grapple is scheduled for 7:14 a.m. EDT (1114 GMT) to wrap up a 40- hour rendezvous that began with the Falcon 9 rocket's launch Friday.
The Dragon spacecraft launched Friday sports several upgrades over previous SpaceX cargo vehicles, nearly quadrupling the ship's capacity for powered cargo. The modifications include additional freezers for biological samples and redesigned cargo racks to accommodate additional payloads, according to SpaceX.
The mission is also taking up research experiments in the Dragon's unpressurized trunk for the first time. The passengers include a NASA optical communications terminal to demonstrate high data-rate links between the space station and the ground, along with a high- definition camera suite to collect videos of Earth.
The payload packages will be mounted outside the space station by the lab's Canadian-built robotics system.
Astronauts will manually remove items stowed inside the Dragon spacecraft's internal section, including 1,576 pounds of science and research gear, 1,049 pounds of crew provisions, 449 pounds of vehicle hardware, and 271 pounds of spacewalk tools.
The Dragon will arrive with a fresh spacesuit for the space station's six-person crew, a space age garden to demonstrate vegetable growth in microgravity, and legs for Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot launched on a 2011 space shuttle mission.
The space station will repack the Dragon spacecraft's pressurized module with experiment samples and other hardware destined to return to Earth. Dragon's departure and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is scheduled for May 18.
[ANS thanks Steven Clark of Spaceflightnow.com for the above announcement]
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The STELAR Project 2014
The education and science charity STELAR has been active in promoting radiocommunications in schools and colleges for over 20 years, as part of curriculum enrichment and personal and professional development for teachers.
Through its specialist courses, it has achieved much notable success in establishing radio clubs in schools and inspiring young people to seek careers in science, electronics and industry. It has played a major role in space and satellite communications in schools.
In 2013 it provided opportunities for satellite experiment by offering SDR receivers to schools allowing them to participate in the current series of FUNCUBE satellite experiments.
Now in 2014 STELAR is offering a new challenge to educators both professional and Amateur. The phenomenal success of the Raspberry Pi computer has opened up new opportunities and stimulated demand for educational projects linking communications systems, via computers.
This year STELAR is seeking to support the very best of those ideas by making available grants to educational groups, with projects designed to stimulate experiments with radio linked computing.
Typically these might take the form of: • Radio systems linked to but not exclusively, a Raspberry Pi, computer. • A detailed Teachers guide to the use and benefits of FUNCUBE or similar satellite systems in schools, • The creation of radio-science projects to aid teachers personal and professional development.
Educational groups can apply for funding to develop a project of their choice, by submitting ideas for consideration by June 30, 2014. Groups should set out their aims and giving as much detail as possible. Successful entries will be notified during the Autumn term.
Interested ? then make contact by visiting the STELAR website http://www.stelar.info/contact
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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KickSat launch postponed until Friday
The SpaceX CRS-3 Dragon launch of five CubeSats and 104 Sprite satellites has been postponed until Friday, April 18, 2014 at 1925 UT.
SpaceX were finally set to launch their Dragon spacecraft on its third Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS Monday, prior to a scrub being called over an hour ahead of lift-off. It is reported there was a helium leak on the first stage, the next launch opportunity is Friday.
The launch had been planned for December 2013 but has suffered a number of delays.
Read the full story at http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/04/spacex-crs-3-dragon-new- milestones/
KickSat information http://amsat-uk.org/2014/04/10/kicksat-sprites-radio-competition/
Frequencies of the other CubeSats can be found at http://www.cubesat.org/index.php/missions/upcoming-launches/139-crs3- launch-alert
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Video of ISS HamTV – Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA April 13, 2014
The final configuration of the International Space Station (ISS) HamVideo Digital TV system took place on Sunday, April 13 at 1823 UT. ISS commander Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA operated using the call sign OR4ISS.
Configuration 4 was used: * ARISS antenna 43 * Frequency 2395 MHz * Symbol rate 2.0 MS/s
Ground stations G4KLB, F6DZP, IK1SLD and KI (Livorno) received the signals and streamed the video over the BATC server. The DATV signal was received for about 6 minutes.
Commander Wakata congratulated ARISS for this achievement and answered a series of questions, prepared in the manner of a school contact. He also proceeded to a microgravity experiment.
Congratulations to the Ham Video team for this outstanding performance.
Next step should be a video enhanced ARISS school contact. We will keep you informed on any progress.
The Ham Video transmitter has downlink frequencies of 2.369, 2.395, 2.422 and 2.437 GHz in a DVB-S type format (symbol rates of 1.3 Ms/s and 2.0 Ms/s). The two patch antennas, ARISS 41 and ARISS 43, are located on the nadir of the Columbus module. The Ham Video transmitter puts out approximately 10 W EIRP. The camera is a Canon XF-305.
Report by Jean Pierre F6DZP about his reception of HamTV on April 13, 2014 http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=317
Read the HamTV overview by Gaston Bertels ON4WF http://tinyurl.com/HamTVoverview
Join the ISS HamTV Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV
Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4
ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins http://www.ariss-eu.org/
HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject
[ANS thanks Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS EU Chair, the ARRL, and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Upcoming AMSAT Events
Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations).
Monday, 28 April 2014 – presentation at Franklin County Amateur Radio Club meeting in Greenfield MA by Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President)
Saturday, 3 May 2014 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association‘s Larry Warren Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ (southeast of Tucson) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Saturday, 7 June 2014 – Kachina Amateur Radio Club‘s White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ (eastern Arizona, south of US-60/AZ-77/AZ-260) – AMSAT will have a table at this hamfest, and satellite demonstrations are planned.
Friday and Saturday, 13-14 June 2014 – Ham-Com in Plano TX (north of Dallas)
Thursday through Sunday, 17-20 July 2014 – ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford CT. AMSAT will host a day-long Satellite Workshop on Thursday, and have a booth at the convention along with an AMSAT Forum and demonstrations throughout the convention.
Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 August 2014 – Shelby Hamfest in Shelby NC (west of Gastonia and Charlotte) – Barry Baines WD4ASW (AMSAT President) will host an AMSAT Forum on Saturday of this weekend
Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (north of the city center, near Montgomery Field airport & I-805/CA-163 interchange) – AMSAT will have a booth at this convention, there will be on-air demonstrations using satellites throughout the convention, and a presentation on amateur satellites and AMSAT
AMSAT maintains and updated list of known upcoming events at http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=218
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above announcement]
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ARISS News
Next planned event(s): Dixon Elementary School, Holly Ridge, NC
A direct contact with students at Dixon Elementary School, Holly Ridge, NC, via NC4OC is a go for Mon 2014-04-21 18:05:53 UTC 41 deg. Watch for possible last minute schedule change due to SpaceX operations.
Dixon Elementary School is located in a rural setting, with its feeder communities North Topsail Beach, Sneads Ferry, Holly Ridge and Surf City. Our community has seen sharp rises in the population of retirees and young families both military and civilian. With the deployment of large numbers of military personnel to Camp Lejeune, New River Air Station, and MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Center) at Stone Bay, the Dixon area continues to grow. Our school population as of February 2014 is over 900 students. Dixon Elementary is a Title 1 School with 38% of our students receiving free or reduced meal benefits. Our student population consists of 81% white students, .09% American Indian, .06% Hispanic, 9% Black, 2% Asian and .007% Pacific Islander.
Dixon Elementary was initially accredited by AdvancEd in 1978. Students are served by highly qualified teachers in 38 regular classrooms, three self-contained exceptional children's classrooms and two pre-kindergarten classrooms. There are six highly qualified resource teachers who also offer support to our large population of exceptional children. Dixon Elementary is a charter member of the National Elementary Honor Society and the Global Schools Network.
In the fall of 2012 Dixon Elementary implemented a STEM classroom for instruction in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students in grades K-5. Students rotate through the STEM classroom every 7 days. The STEM classroom teacher, a veteran science and math teacher, provides hands-on science and math instruction and project-based learning, including a variety of engineering projects. Each year Dixon Elementary hosts a SPACE DAY for students in Pre-K through 5th grade, with our community joining us in this spectacular event.
Students at Dixon Elementary students think strategically as they learn to play chess, participate in book studies, Scrabble Club, Robotics Club, Girls on the Run Club, Boys' Running Club, Academic Derby, Recycling Club (recently recognized by the National Council of Keep America Beautiful as the leading public school in recycling), Odyssey of the Mind (world competitors two out of the last three years), Science Fair competitors (Regional, State and National champions), and Science Olympiad. ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on- board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
[ ANS thanks ARISS for the above update]
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Satellite Shorts from all over
CAMB-HAMS TO OPERATE GS3PYE/P FROM ISLE OF LEWIS
Thirteen members of Camb-Hams group will be operating GS3PYE/P from the Isle of Lewis from April 26th April to May 3rd. The Isle of Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris and is the largest island of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Activity will be on 80 through 2 meters using all bands and modes. A pair of 2 meter to 70 centimeter and 2 meter to 23 centimeter station's will be dedicated to satellite contacts. 2 meter and 23 cm EME will be attempted using a low power portable station into yagi antennas with this part of the operation mainly focused on digital operation using modes developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT. In addition to the ham bands the group will be active on the major social networks before, during and after the trip. You can check on progress or interact with the operators via their blog at dx.camb-hams.com
[ANS thanks RSGB for the above announcement]
Portable Amateur Radio Satellite Antenna Video
Dave Tadlock KG0ZZ describes a home made small hand held portable amateur radio dual band 145 / 435 MHz satellite antenna in a new video
http://amsat-uk.org/2014/04/19/portable-amateur-radio-satellite- antenna/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above announcement]
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/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 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, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
participants (3)
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Joe Spier -
Rich/wa4bue