AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-215
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:
* July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal is Ready and at the Print Shop * AMSAT ARRL Centennial Videos Added to www.AMSAT.org * AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available * Enhanced FUNcube-1 Dashboard App now available * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-215.01 ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 215.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE August 3, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-215.01
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July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal is Ready and at the Print Shop
JoAnne, K9JKM reports that the July/August 2014 AMSAT Journal has been sent to the print shop. Look for your copy in your mailbox in a couple of weeks depending on the post office. Thanks to all of our contributors and Editors: Bernhard, VA6BMJ; Douglas, KA2UPW/5; James, K3JPH for their help getting this issue ready.
In this issue you will find ...
+ AMSAT Announcements: Call for 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium Papers + Apogee View by Barry Baines - WD4ASW + Fox-1C to Launch on Spaceflight's SHERPA in 3Q 2015 + Get Ready for Fox-1 Hamfest Handout + AMSAT at ARRL Centennial Celebration in Hartford + Board of Directors Meeting Minutes and 2014 AMSAT BOD Election Notice by Alan Biddle - WA4SCA + AMSAT at Dayton 2014 by Keith Baker - KB1SF/VA3KSF + AMSAT Engineering 2014 - Virtual Teamwork by Jerry Buxton - N0JY + AMSAT at Ham-Com 2014 + New President's Club Donor Drive Announcement + Star Comm Group Satellite Operating Awards by Damon Runion - WA4HFN + June 19 DNEPR Launch Lofts 37 Satellites + AMSAT Field Day 2014 by Bruce Paige - KK5DO + UKube-1 With FUNcube-2 Transponder Aboard Launched on July 8 by Graham Shirville - G3VZV
A color preview of the cover page has been posted to the AMSAT North America Facebook page.
The AMSAT Journal welcomes all your input about Amateur Radio in space. We'll do all the final formatting and layout for you. All we need are your article in text, MS-Word, or OpenOffice format. Please send photos separately as JPG or BMP files in as high resolution as possible. We have a writer's guide posted at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1709 -and-feel free to contact the editor directly with your questions. Sample articles from previous issues are posted at: http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=2074
The AMSAT Journal is sent to all members bi-monthly. We report on all aspects of Amateur Radio in space including launches, equipment, operating techniques, antennas, activities, and membership news. Not yet a member? You can find out how to join at: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1095
Please send your articles, photos, and news to journal@amsat.org or k9jkm@amsat.org.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Editor Team for the above information]
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AMSAT ARRL Centennial Videos Added to www.AMSAT.org
The following are videos of Patrick WD9EWK demonstrating working satellites during the ARRL Centennial. Two of the 3 use audio Patrick recorded, with a slideshow complete with pictures and descriptions of the audio and other stuff related to AMSAT at Hartford.
This is a slideshow from the AO-7 demonstration Patrick gave, after our training seminar wrapped up on the Thursday of that weekend (17 July): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TjXbuLv5s
This is a slideshow from the NA1SS contact on Saturday (19 July) morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoFbhPXsUx0
This is an actual video from the AO-7 demonstration at the end of the convention on Saturday (19 July). Thanks Peter W2JV for running the camera for this video!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHd91H_t88o
See the AMSAT Presentations at the 2014 ARRL Centennial webpage: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2914
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos Now Available
Thanks to the hard work of volunteers from the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) videos of the presentations given to the AMSAT- UK International Space Colloquium held in Guildford on July 26-27, 2014 are now available to view online or download to your PC.
Links to the presentation videos, PDF’s of the slides and the schedule are at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/
You can also access them by following these steps: • Go to http://www.batc.tv/ • Click on the ‘Film Archive’ icon • Select ‘AMSATUK 2014? from the Category drop down menu • Click on ‘Select Category’ • Select the video you wish to watch from the Stream drop down menu • Click on ‘Select Stream’ • Click the play icon ‘>’ on the player • Clicking on the icon to the left of the player volume control will give you full screen display. • To download the video file to your PC right-click on the ‘Click Here’ link under the player.
AMSAT-UK publishes an newsletter, OSCAR News, that is full of Amateur Satellite information. A sample issue of OSCAR News can be downloaded here. Join AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK the above information]
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Enhanced FUNcube-1 Dashboard App now available
AThis weekend saw the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium take place and Jim Heck G3WGM and Ciaran Morgan M0XTD together gave a presentation on the FUNcube-1 CubeSat mission.
The presentation included the announcement of a new version of the FUNcube-1 Dashboard. This has greatly improved decoding performance for weak signals – especially for Dongle users. Additionally the Dashboard can now activate the Bias-T pre-amp power from the Dongle.
The new version can now be downloaded and the guidance notes have been updated to provide full information about it.
All users are encouraged to install this new version to improve their system performance and further increase the amount of data being captured in the Warehouse.
Reports will be very welcome on the FUNcube forum http://forum.funcube.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=195
Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/
Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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AMSAT Events
Iformation 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, 2 August 2014 – Fairbanks Hamfest in Fairbanks AK * Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (near Montgomery Field and I- 805/CA-163 interchange) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* A direct contact via 8J3AK with students at Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan is scheduled for Wed 2014-08-06 10:25:43 UTC 68 deg.
Amino Kita Elementary School was opened on April 1, 1983. Our school is located at the northernmost tip of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. We have 244 students now, who all study hard and pursue sports actively. Our school is surrounded by a rich, natural environment.
The location of our school is recognized as a part of Quasi-National Park and the National Geo Park. It is also only 100 meters away from the beach. Students in the 6th grade swim one kilometer in the sea every year. During the current season, summer, a lot of lights from squid fishing boats can be seen in the sea at night. Maybe you can see them from the ISS?
Our school has beautiful grounds covered with green grass. At recess, our students play in the grounds full of energy. There are straight hallways more than 100 meters long in our school. They are sometimes used in our arithmetic classes to learn how to measure distance.
The members of our space club will ask you some questions today. These questions were thought of by all of the students. It is a new club that began this year. They are studying the stars and moon, and practicing English hard so that they can make contact with you. All of the people in our school are really looking forward to getting in touch with the astronauts in the ISS.
Latest News
* A telebridge contact with Scouts at Space Jam 8, Rantoul Airport & Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul IL, USA was successfu on Sat 2014-08-02 12:23:19 UTC 60 deg via W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, CA, USA.
ARISS reports "The contact Space Jam 8 just had a very successful contact with Greg. We had 24 questions answered that were on the list plus 2 extra ones for a total of 26.
I only heard one very very very brief change in signal strength but Greg was rock solid through the entire pass. He actually called W6SRJ first.
The Space Jam 8 group was heading off to their next project of the day, launching a balloon with ham radio on board. They also reported that there was at least 1 TV station there."
SpaceJam 8 provided the following information - Greetings to all stations from the participants and volunteers of Space Jam 8 in Rantoul, Illinois. Though primarily a weekend Scouting and STEM education event, we are open to all interested youth. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venturing Crews from 22 states and this year Canada have come together in an educational and fun format to learn more about the life skills that will prepare them for the increasingly complex technological future. While it is well known that Scouting teaches pioneering skills like camping and wilderness survival, the new pioneers and wilderness are in outer space and we are working hard at 44 technology oriented Merit Badges and activities, plus some fun things like the Duct Tape Merit Badge and experiencing 1/3 gravity. Talking to the astronauts on the ISS is an unforgettable part of the experience at Space Jam and that's next on our list. We will not know for many years whether one of these youths becomes an astronaut themselves but it is certain that they are all part of tomorrow's leaders.
Find more information about Space Jam at http://spacejamboree.com/pages/about.
* A telebridge contact with students participating in the ESA 2014 Space Camp, Rossall School, Fleetwood, United Kingdom was successful Tue 2014-07-29 14:01:13 UTC 53 deg via W6SRJ.
Audio on Echolink and Web stream was transmitted.
This annual camp is organized by the ESA Space Camp Committee takes place in a different European country each summer for 2 weeks. This year the camp takes place between 27 July and 10 August where 185 young space explorers aged 8 to 17 will meet each other in the UK at Rossall School. The children come from the following ESA establishments (UK, France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany).
This will be the 20th Space Camp organized by ESA. This year the children will also be involved in celebrating this milestone with marking 50 years of ESA. Children, their parents and educators from the area will join the ESA campers on this special celebration day.
Rossall is a boarding school situated on a beautiful 160-acre site, there is plenty of room for extensive sports and cultural facilities, including a swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, as well as a fitness room and a climbing wall.
The ESC 2014 program will feature a balanced mix of sports such as flag rugby, life-guarding, kayaking and martial arts. The theme for camp will be ‘Reach for the Stars!’ Well-equipped IT labs, classrooms and an on-site planetarium will be instrumental in setting up a space education program that will keep the children motivated with new and exciting hands-on activities and educational tasks involving space- related themes, as well as learning about the culture of the host country.
As with all ESA Space Camps, there will be specific emphasis placed on socialization and respect among the participants. We hope to make the camp a really unique experience for juniors and teenagers who are in the process of becoming citizens of a multicultural society.
* On July 25, 2014, A direct contact via RZ9WWB with students participating in Gagarin From Space at Vii Youth Rally Of Radio Amateurs In Bashkiria, Ufa,Russia was successful 2014-07-25 21:38 UTC.
[ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
* $248 Billion for Manufacture and Launch of 1,155 Satellites Over Next Decade
According to Euroconsult's newly released research report, Satellites to be Built and Launched, 115 satellites will be launched on average yearly over the next decade (2014-2023). In comparison with last year's forecast, the number of satellites is stable while market value is growing, thus translating the growing economic importance of the sector, for both governments and commercial satellite companies.
Governments all over the world will be responsible for more than 75% of the $248 billion in revenues expected from the manufacturing and launch of these 1,155 satellites. Governments' dominance of the space industry continues to increase as established space countries replace and expand their in-orbit satellite systems and more countries acquire their first operational satellite systems, usually for communications and broadcasting or for Earth observation and imagery intelligence. Nearly 90% of the government market value will remain concentrated in the 10 countries with an established space industry, but growth in the government market will derive from new satellite systems in 35 nascent space countries, creating a market of $2 billion on average per year to be provided principally by foreign suppliers as local industry capabilities develop simultaneously.
According to Rachel Villain, Principal Advisor at Euroconsult and editor of the report, "governments in established space countries continue to drive innovation for satellite systems with benefits to local industries and the foreign governments to which they export." In the commercial space sector, Euroconsult anticipates a total of 350 satellites to be launched over the decade, most of which will be for the replacement of capacity existing in-orbit. These satellites will be equally divided between the geostationary orbit (GEO) and lower altitude orbits (MEO and LEO); 83% of market value remains concentrated in the geostationary orbit, the destination of 300+ satellites operated by 30 commercial companies for communications and broadcasting services.
Still, the constellations to be launched in non-geostationary orbits for communications services and Earth observation imagery should represent a market of $1 billion per year on average over the decade. Technology advances in satellite payloads and higher competition in launch services allow the continuous improvement of CAPEX efficiency of commercial GEO satellites for communications and broadcasting services.
Electric propulsion will definitively be part of the economic equation, even if only five all-electric commercial satellites are now under construction.
[ANS thanks spacemart.com for the above information]
* US aerospace firm outlines New Zealand-based space program
A United States aerospace company is aiming to make New Zealand one of the exclusive group of countries with a space program by promising a revolutionary new satellite-carrying rocket for a fraction of the current satellite launch costs.
Rocket Lab announced Tuesday that it had developed a light- weight, carbon-composite rocket, named Electron, at its Auckland plant and hoped to offer small satellite launches for less than 5 million U.S. dollars, compared with a current average price of 133 million U.S. dollars. The company, which has received research and development funding from the government, was being backed by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, Rocket Lab founder and New Zealander Peter Beck said in a statement. The lead-time for businesses to launch a satellite would be cut from years to just weeks and the company already had commercial commitments for 30 launches, said Beck.
At 18 meters in length, 1 meter in diameter and weighing more than 10 tones, Electron would be the first vehicle of its class capable of delivering payloads up to 100 kg into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 160 km.
Businesses faced a severe barrier in launching satellites as rockets had remained prohibitively large and expensive, despite the trend for satellites to become smaller, more capable and more affordable, he said. "Along with benefits for commercial enterprises, cheaper and faster space access has the potential to lead to more accurate weather prediction, global high speed Internet access, as well as real-time monitoring of the impacts of human development," said Beck. New Zealand was in an ideal launch position for a variety of different types of orbits and plans were underway to build a space port at several potential locations.
Powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene, Electron would have a lift- off mass of 10,500 kg and a possible top speed of 27,500 km per hour.
[ANS thanks space-travel.com 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-236
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 Space Symposium Auction Announced * ISS Slow Scan TV on August 27 * Lambda-Sat CubeSat – ISS Deployment * W1AW/7 on satellites starting Wednesday (UTC time) * Venerable LUSAT-1 (OSCAR 19) Takes to the Dark Side * 73 on 73 Award Announcement * Chasqui-1 deployment from ISS * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-236.01 ANS-236 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 236.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE August 24, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-236.01
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AMSAT Space Symposium Auction Announced
At this year’s AMSAT Space Symposium, we are trying a few new things and we hope you will enjoy them. One exciting facet we are adding this year is an auction. All proceeds from the auction will support AMSAT’s two major initiatives—the development and launch of the FOX satellite series and the ARISS program.
As we prepare for the auction, we are asking for your help in donating specialty items for auction (minimum value $100) that will attract symposium attendee’s attention and get them bidding up the item price. If you have any items that are ham related (no boat anchors please), items of historical value, space related and/or autographed items, or even sports tickets or time shares, we would love to get your donations. Think out of the box on this—what exciting things would you like to see in this auction?
If you have something to donate to the Symposium auction, please send an e-mail to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, who will work with you on getting your item or items into the auction. Frank’s e-mail address is ka3hdo@verizon.net
This auction, while adding a fun experience to the AMSAT Space Symposium experience, will also serve to keep amateur radio’s spirit thriving in space through its donations to FOX and ARISS.
On behalf of AMSAT, I thank you for your donations in advance. And I encourage each of you to attend and participate in this year’s AMSAT Space Symposium to be held in Baltimore Maryland Oct 10-12. For more information, see: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1555
73 from Your Symposium Committee Co-Chairs:
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO and Janet Bauer
[ANS thanks the Frank, KA3HDO and AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ISS Slow Scan TV on August 27
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB reports that the Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment MAI-75 on the International Space Station (ISS) may be active on Wednesday, August 27 using the call sign RS0ISS on 145.800 MHz FM.
A Google English translation of the work plan says “On Gagarin from Space”. Open gear with ISS RS by amateur radio link to ground receiving stations amateurs around the world images of photographs devoted to the life and work of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
It is unclear how long the SSTV transmissions will continue for but the plan shows the Kenwood TM D-700 transceiver being used for a school contact in the Ruzaevo district on Saturday, August 30.
All you need to do to receive the SSTV pictures from the space station is to connected the audio output of a scanner or amateur rig via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device, and tune in to 145.800 MHz FM. You can even receive pictures by holding an iPhone next to the radio’s loudspeaker.
The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. The FM transmission uses 5 kHz deviation which is standard in much of the world.
Many FM rigs in the UK can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters so select the wider deviation. Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.
On Windows PC’s the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app. The ISS Fan Club website will show you when the space station is in range.
Listen for the ISS SSTV transmissions online using the SUWS WebSDR, further details at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/
For more on Slow Scan Television SSTV, see this article SSTV – The Basics http://www.essexham.co.uk/sstv-the-basics
How to be successful with the ISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) imaging system http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtoisssstv.html
Information on the MAI-75 SSTV experiment http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/education-26.html
Free MMSSTV software http://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php
iOS SSTV App https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sstv/id387910013
IZ8BLY Vox Recoder, enables you to record the signals from the ISS on 145.800 MHz while you’re away at work http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/
ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) Blog and Gallery http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.co.uk/
For real-time tracking and the latest status of amateur radio activity on the space station see the ISS Fan Club http://www.issfanclub.com/
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB http://r4uab.ru/?p=7237
ISS Work Plan http://www.mcc.rsa.ru/plan.htm
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Lambda-Sat CubeSat – ISS Deployment
Lambda-Sat was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on July 13, 2014, in an Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket CRS-2/ORB-2. It is reported it may be deployed from the ISS on Tuesday, August 26.
The Lambda team encourages amateur radio operators around the world to listen for and report the Lambda-Sat signal.
Frequency: 437.462 MHz Downlink: AX.25 Unnumbered Information (UI) packets at 1200 bps AFSK Transmission Power : 1W Call Sign : KK6DFZ
The Secretary of the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society (CARS) Nestor 5B4AHZ has written an article on Lambda-Sat, he says:
The naming of the ?-sat satellite came from the Greek letter L (lambda) a reminder of Hellas, Helios, the Greek word Thalassa for sea, the Greek word Lithos which directly translates to stone (meaning “Land of Light”).
The ?-sat was constructed entirely of Greek volunteers who worked feverishly, selflessly and without any personal gain. Members of ?- sat contributed to the construction of the satellite system each with their knowledge in robotics, electronics, software development and telecommunications. The group consists of young people from Greece who traveled to Silicon Valley in California to participate in this project.
“I want to motivate the youth in Greece to continue to dream,” says the original initiator of the project, Periklis Papadopoulos, Professor of Aerospace Engineering of the Federal University of California San Jose, which has been awarded from NASA for his contribution with the prize Turning Goals Into Reality (TGIR). As the professor states, “My goal is to demonstrate the capabilities of young people in Greece.” The professor believes that our country could be active in this area and this is not an economic issue, but a question of will alone (!).
Submit reception reports of Lambda-Sat at http://lambdasat.com/?page_id=181
Lambda-Sat http://lambdasat.com/
Article on Lambda-Sat by Nestor 5B4AHZ http://www.cyhams.org/index.php/en/news-and-events/359-the-first- greek-microsatellite-is-a-fact
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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W1AW/7 on satellites starting Wednesday (UTC time)
Following the schedule for W1AW/x portable activity during 2014, next week will start the second of the two weeks W1AW/7 will air from Arizona. The first W1AW/7 Arizona satellite activity in March was successful (thanks, John K8YSE, for making good use of the K8YSE/7 station in Arizona that week), and I'm hoping for another successful week starting at 0000 UTC Wednesday, 27 August (2000 EDT/1700 PDT on Tuesday, 26 August).
I will be operating as W1AW/7 on weeknights, and plan on more activity during the Labor Day weekend (30 August-1 September) that falls within this one-week period. I am working on having additional operators for the weekday passes, when I won't be able to get on the radio myself. As with any of the W1AW/x activities, ARRL will handle the QSLing. ARRL will upload all W1AW/7 logs to Logbook of the World, in addition to the paper, QSL cards that will be available later.
If you also work other bands and want to work W1AW/7 from Arizona next week, the W1AW/7 Arizona activity coordinator, Ned Stearns AA7A, has a schedule showing when the other stations operating as W1AW/7 will be on - and on what band/mode combinations. This schedule is still being assembled, so more slots will be filled in as we get closer to next week.
You can see that schedule at: http://aa7a.net/W1AW/W1AW_7_AZ_1September.htm
Satellite operating times will not appear on Ned's schedule, as I am coordinating that part of the W1AW/7 effort. I'll use the AMSAT-BB list and my Twitter @WD9EWK feed (http://twitter.com/WD9EWK ) to send out updates for the W1AW/7 satellite activity.
Good luck, and 73!
[ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK and AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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Venerable LUSAT-1 (OSCAR 19) Takes to the Dark Side
Set to celebrate its silver anniversary next year, LUSAT-1 -- which is also known as OSCAR 19 or LO-19 -- appears once again to be functioning, sort of, when not in sunlight. At this point, OSCAR 19 is only transmitting telemetry; its digital transponder has not been reported to be operational.
"We knew that our LUSAT started transmitting again a couple of years ago, but only when illuminated by sunlight and was not heard during the night," Pedro Converso, LU7ABF, reported to the AMSAT-BB. During a recent nighttime pass, though, he was surprised to hear "the usual strong 900 mW continuous carrier on 437.125 MHz," 22 minutes after LO- 19 had emerged from Earth's shadow.
"It's almost a miracle that after almost 25 years, LUSAT's vintage Ni-Cd batteries can receive and hold [a] charge," he said.
Launched in 1990 from Kourou, French Guyana, on an Ariane 4 vehicle, the satellite -- Argentina's first -- has completed more than 128,000 orbits, and is one of the oldest active Amateur Radio satellites. The satellite carries a digital store-and-forward packet transponder with uplink frequencies at 145.84, 145.86, 145.88, and 145.90 MHz 1200 bps FM, with AX.25 protocol downlink at 437.125 MHz SSB.
An audio clip, tracking information, and listener reports are available via the AMSAT-LU website. Reports are welcome via e-mail.
[ANS thanks ARRL & AMSAT-BB for the above information]
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73 on 73 Award Announcement
Paul Stoetzer N8HM has announced a new award for contacts made via the AO-73 (FUNcube-1) amateur radio satellite
"I am pleased to announce that I will be sponsoring a new award to promote activity on AO-73 (FUNcube-1). The requirements for this award are simple:
1. Work 73 unique stations on AO-73. 2. Contacts must be made on or after September 1, 2014. 3. There are no geographic restrictions on your operating location.
There will be no cost for this award (donations to AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NA’s Fox program are encouraged though). No QSLs are required. When you complete the requirements, email your log extract including the callsign of each station worked, time GMT, and date to n8hm@arrl.net as well as the address where you’d like the award certificate sent.
Enjoy AO-73’s transponder!
73 Paul Stoetzer, N8HM Washington, DC"
[ANS thanks Paul, N8HM and AMSAT-UK the above information]
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Chasqui-1 deployment from ISS
On August 18, 2014 at 14:00 UT the Russia Cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS), Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev, opened the hatches of the Pirs docking module and to start Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA).
One of their tasks was the deployment of the Peruvian satellite Chasqui-1, a research satellite designed to standard CubeSat dimension by the Peruvian National University of Engineering (Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI)) in collaboration with the Southwestern State University (SWSU) in Kursk.
Chasqui-1’s batteries were charged by the Russian Cosmonuats inside the ISS during August 14/15.The satellite was successfully deployed by Oleg Artemyev near the start of the EVA at 14:23 UT.
Chasqui-1 was developed with the intention of improving their satellite technology through the design and testing of a small satellite. Its facilities include two cameras, one in visible and the other in infra-red. Other facilities include communication in the amateur radio band and control systems for its power, thermal and embedded management of its components.
Chasqui-1 will provide a number of functions that include taking pictures of the Earth. From an academic perspective it will facilitate collaborations among various faculties and research centres of the university to train students and teachers with real world experience in satellites. It will also generate opportunities to work with other universities in the world which in turn will lead to technological advances in the aerospace industry of Peru.
The 437.025 MHz beacon (+/- 10 kHz Doppler shift) can transmit either 1200 bps AFSK AX.25 or 9600 bps GMSK. At the time of writing no signal from the beacon had been heard.
Listen for Chasqui-1 and the ISS online using the SUWS WebSDR, further details at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/
Find out when you can hear the ISS and Chasqui-1 which is currently in close proximity at http://issfanclub.com/
Chasqui-1 http://www.chasqui.uni.edu.pe/eng.html
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chasqui-1/253013641985
Twitter @chasqui1
R4UAB Chasqui-1 http://r4uab.ru/?p=7178
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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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, 30 AUG 14 @ 1330 EDT: AMSAT Forum at the Shelby, NC Hamfest (ARRL North Carolina State Convention) "Amateur Radio Satellite Overview" AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW and AMSAT Area Coordinator John Kludt, K4SQC will discuss AMSAT's Fox-1 class cubesat projects currently under development; two of these satellites are expected to be launched in 2015. They will also cover the basics in getting started in amateur satellites and note other recently launched amateur spacecraft, such as AMSAT-UK's FUNCube-1 and FUNCube-2. * Friday through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (near Montgomery Field and I- 805/CA-163 interchange) * Sunday, 25 October 2014 – Hamfest Chattanooga 2014 in Chattanooga TN (Alhambra Center, near TN-320 and I-75 exit 3) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* A telebrdige contact via IK1SLD with students at SPACE KAMP Sterrenlab, Noordwijk, The Netherlands is a go for Tue 2014-08-26 11:36:32 UTC 65 deg.
The Amicale Space Camp includes 25 children aged 8-13 years old of different European nationalities. It includes children of the European Patent Office staff and takes place in Noordwijk (Stay Okay hostel) from the 25th to the 29th of August 2014. All camp activities are designed to entertain children, stimulate their creative and manual skills, and teach them about science and space. The contact with the International Space Station will be a key activity in the program as it gives the children the opportunity to talk with an astronaut and understand that space is an international endeavor.
* A direct contact with students at Winfree Bryant Middle School, Lebanon, TN, USA is scheduled for Tue 2014-08-26 16:12:47 UTC 24 deg.
As one of two middle schools in Lebanon Special School District, Winfree Bryant Middle School is in its fourth year of serving students in grades 6 – 8. Located in Wilson County in the heart of middle Tennessee twenty-eight miles east of Nashville, the city of Lebanon has approximately 27,000 residents. Winfree Bryant serves approximately 600 students with 66.5% Caucasian, 16.6% African American, 14.4% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and less than 1% Native American/Mixed Race. Forty-eight percent of the school population is female and fifty-two percent of the population is male. Approximately 65% of students fall within the demographics of economically disadvantaged.
Winfree Bryant’s mission statement is “Different and Making a Difference.” As a school family, that is what teachers and staff set out to do on a daily basis. Although our number one responsibility is to teach Tennessee State Standards and grow students academically, we first love our children and provide for their daily needs. Without relationship, there can be no learning, and our teachers and administrators take very seriously the mission of making a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.
The faculty and staff embodies this mission by never giving up on a child – academically, emotionally, and socially. Expectations for academics are high and behavioral expectations are rigorous in order to best support a positive learning environment. In return, we look forward to a harvest of hardworking responsible citizens who then make a difference in a positive way to our community.
* A direct contact with students at Dorothy Grant Elementary School, Fontana, CA, USA is scheduled for Wed 2014-08-27 18:31:28 UTC 83 deg.
Dorothy Grant Elementary School opened its doors in August 2004 and was named after a local prominent, nationally renowned civil rights leader who passed away in April 2013. Mrs. Grant was vested in education, and could be seen most mornings at our school gates welcoming our students to school.
Our school is a community school located in the middle of a residential neighborhood and serves over 780 students in preschool through grade 5. We also have an early childhood special education program and Special Day Class for 5th grade students. Many of our students participate in our after-school program, as well as a variety of school clubs that are headed by teachers or parents, such as the gardening club.
Dorothy Grant Elementary School proudly earned the California Department of Education’s 2013 Title I Academic Achievement Award and is a California Distinguished School. This prestigious honor is a reflection of the school’s system of support for all students at all learning levels. Innovative intervention strategies and differentiated instruction greatly impacted school-wide student performance to meet state and federal standards of excellence.
On October 27, 2012, the Dorothy Grant Elementary Amateur Radio Club was established. Each year nearly 50 students in the 4th and 5th grades learn about amateur radio and participate in activities and programs that teach them about electronics and radio communication techniques. Amateur radio has enhanced reading, writing, mathematics, geography, and communication skills for all students. The club recently installed a 50 ft. Rohn tower and beam antenna in hopes of making more international contacts on 10, 15, and 20 meters. The use of technology is strongly emphasized throughout the curriculum and used as a tool to enhance class lessons.
Latest News
* A telebridge contact with students at Zuni Hills Elementary School, Sun City, AZ, USA, via K6DUE was successful on Fri 2014-08-22 17:47:05 UTC. With the help of the Telebridge Operator, Jennifer, we had a very successful contact. All 18 questions plus several others were completed before an audience of about 850 at the school.
Zuni Hills Elementary School is a K-8th grade school and falls in the Peoria Unified School District. Our district is the third largest in the state of Arizona with 33 elementary schools and 7 high schools. Our district is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Our district has a 95% graduation rate and last year students accepted more than 50 million dollars in scholarships.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Keith, W5IU and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
* A presentation on FUNcube CubeSat by AMSAT-UK scheduled for RSGB Convention
The RSGB say there will be lots of space and a five lecture stream programme in the new Convention venue at the Kents Hill Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.
Among the presentations are - UKHASNET, technology and methodology by James Coxon M6JCX - SDR Techniques by Simon Brown G4ELI - Digital modes start up by Mike Richards G4WNC - FUNcube CubeSat by AMSAT-UK - Amateur radio software developers forum by G7VJR - 146-147MHz: A New Frontier of Amateur Innovation by G4SWX - World War 1 Communications by Dr Elizabeth Bruton
RSGB Convention http://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/
Schedule http://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/rsgb-convention-2014- provisional-timetable/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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
What is the maxium band width?
Rich W4BUE
It'll receive Wx sats with the final IF at 50kHz width, FM demodulation. Some modes/software packages are more configurable than others. Using HDSDR here. Be aware that there are several versions of the FCD. The newest are the best, by miles. Use these with transmitters at your own risk. I killed one of my two, this morning, this way, I think. Most of the time I was using 5W from a handie scratchie. YMMV! SDR is the wave of the future. Being able to click anywhere in the passband of the receiver and then having Satpc32 go there while driving the transmitter rocks. The only better feature is that finding elusive signals became way easier. There's a stocking Winradio dealer less than an hour from me. Bad news: $800 plus tax.
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 9:52 AM, Rich/wa4bue richard.siff@verizon.net wrote:
What is the maxium band width?
Rich W4BUE _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
So the Million Dollar Question (actually, I guess it is the "$180-higher cost + shipping" question) is whether the Funcube Dongle is significantly better than one of the cheap $20 RLT-SDR tuners? I have been experimenting with the cheapo version the last couple of days, and so far I have been able to pick up my local repeaters fairly well with a mag-mount antenna. I tried to pull in AO-73 late last night with an Arrow and a preamp but had some issues with SATPC32 that I have since resolved. I am pretty sure I heard something but I am still getting used to using SDR#. I need to do some more tuning.
I am going to keep on working with this, at least for the next few days, but should I just plan on shelling out the money for the Funcube Dongle if using the computer to receive the linear satellites is my long-term plan?
Steve, I spent almost three weeks until I was confident enough with the station, computer, software and connections to use the FCD for the linear satellites. Lasted two weeks. Do suspect that some RF made it's way down the downlink coax and gave the FCD RF amp a knockout blow. Tried to listen to ANTELsat this am. Couldn't hear it. Wasn't sure what the problem was. MANY VARAIBLES!!! Turned out to be the FCD. Was able to reconfigure the station to use another radio so that I could prove the bug. I can try the RTL SDR I got from ebay tonight and let you know how it stacks up. Norm n3ykf
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:51 AM, Steve May steve.w5iem@gmail.com wrote:
So the Million Dollar Question (actually, I guess it is the "$180-higher cost + shipping" question) is whether the Funcube Dongle is significantly better than one of the cheap $20 RLT-SDR tuners? I have been experimenting with the cheapo version the last couple of days, and so far I have been able to pick up my local repeaters fairly well with a mag-mount antenna. I tried to pull in AO-73 late last night with an Arrow and a preamp but had some issues with SATPC32 that I have since resolved. I am pretty sure I heard something but I am still getting used to using SDR#. I need to do some more tuning.
I am going to keep on working with this, at least for the next few days, but should I just plan on shelling out the money for the Funcube Dongle if using the computer to receive the linear satellites is my long-term plan?
-- Steve May, W5IEM Amateur Extra - Georgetown, KY (520) 261-7847 - Cell Skype: USHorseman Steve.W5IEM@gmail.com
*This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying the communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the email along with any and all attachments from your system*
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Lizeth Norman normanlizeth@gmail.com wrote:
It'll receive Wx sats with the final IF at 50kHz width, FM demodulation. Some modes/software packages are more configurable than others. Using HDSDR here. Be aware that there are several versions of the FCD. The newest are the best, by miles. Use these with transmitters at your own risk. I killed one of my two, this morning, this way, I think. Most of the time I was using 5W from a handie scratchie. YMMV! SDR is the wave of the future. Being able to click anywhere in the passband of the receiver and then having Satpc32 go there while driving the transmitter rocks. The only better feature is that finding elusive signals became way easier. There's a stocking Winradio dealer less than an hour from me. Bad news: $800 plus tax.
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 9:52 AM, Rich/wa4bue richard.siff@verizon.net wrote:
What is the maxium band width?
Rich W4BUE _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership.
Opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
program!
Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Having used both the RTL dongle and a FunCube Dongle Pro (not PLUS), I'd say the FCD, hands down. Keeping RF out of it is manageable. On relay to switch between TX and RX input. Another relay between RXinput and the FCD which switches to a dummy load on transmit -- doubles the isolation.
AND, use a sequencer, so the relay switching is done before the transmitter is ever keyed.
Your transmitter will approve.
Good luck & 73, Jim wb4gcs@amsat.org
On 8/26/2014 12:11 PM, Lizeth Norman wrote:
Steve, I spent almost three weeks until I was confident enough with the station, computer, software and connections to use the FCD for the linear satellites. Lasted two weeks. Do suspect that some RF made it's way down the downlink coax and gave the FCD RF amp a knockout blow. Tried to listen to ANTELsat this am. Couldn't hear it. Wasn't sure what the problem was. MANY VARAIBLES!!! Turned out to be the FCD. Was able to reconfigure the station to use another radio so that I could prove the bug. I can try the RTL SDR I got from ebay tonight and let you know how it stacks up. Norm n3ykf
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:51 AM, Steve May steve.w5iem@gmail.com wrote:
So the Million Dollar Question (actually, I guess it is the "$180-higher cost + shipping" question) is whether the Funcube Dongle is significantly better than one of the cheap $20 RLT-SDR tuners? I have been experimenting with the cheapo version the last couple of days, and so far I have been able to pick up my local repeaters fairly well with a mag-mount antenna. I tried to pull in AO-73 late last night with an Arrow and a preamp but had some issues with SATPC32 that I have since resolved. I am pretty sure I heard something but I am still getting used to using SDR#. I need to do some more tuning.
I am going to keep on working with this, at least for the next few days, but should I just plan on shelling out the money for the Funcube Dongle if using the computer to receive the linear satellites is my long-term plan?
-- Steve May, W5IEM Amateur Extra - Georgetown, KY (520) 261-7847 - Cell Skype: USHorseman Steve.W5IEM@gmail.com
*This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying the communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the email along with any and all attachments from your system*
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Lizeth Norman normanlizeth@gmail.com wrote:
It'll receive Wx sats with the final IF at 50kHz width, FM demodulation. Some modes/software packages are more configurable than others. Using HDSDR here. Be aware that there are several versions of the FCD. The newest are the best, by miles. Use these with transmitters at your own risk. I killed one of my two, this morning, this way, I think. Most of the time I was using 5W from a handie scratchie. YMMV! SDR is the wave of the future. Being able to click anywhere in the passband of the receiver and then having Satpc32 go there while driving the transmitter rocks. The only better feature is that finding elusive signals became way easier. There's a stocking Winradio dealer less than an hour from me. Bad news: $800 plus tax.
On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 9:52 AM, Rich/wa4bue richard.siff@verizon.net wrote:
What is the maxium band width?
Rich W4BUE _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership.
Opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
program!
Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
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So the Million Dollar Question (actually, I guess it is the "$180-higher cost + shipping" question) is whether the Funcube Dongle is significantly better than one of the cheap $20 RLT-SDR tuners?
A key limitation of the RTL dongles is dynamic range. I have an APRS station about 2km from me, and whenever it sends out packets on 144.39, it really hurts the poor little RTL when I have it set with enough gain to hear, e.g. AO-72. All sorts of spurious responses appear in the waterfall on both sides of the actual signal, and satellite reception is essentially impossible.
The RTL-SDR has only 8 bits of dynamic range, while the FCD has I think 14 bits, so it can tolerate a lot more signal range. I have no personal experience with the FCD at this location, but I expect it would perform much better.
-Joe KM1P
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-257
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:
* BOD Ballots Must be Recieved by September 15 * ISS SSTV received on SUWS WebSDR * Send your message “from the Moon” * Contract to Build Es’hailSat Includes AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Transponders * Chicago Media Coverage St. Joan of Arc School ARISS Contact * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-257.01 ANS-257 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 257.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE September 14, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-257.01
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BOD Ballots Must be Received by September 15
There is still time to vote but remember that Board of Directors ballots must be received at the AMSAT Office by 15 SEP 2014 in order to be counted. Your returned ballot should be sent promptly, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means.
Normally there would be 3 full Board seats open this year, plus 2 alternates. However, with the passing of Tony Monteiro, AA2TX (SK), there will be an additional full Board seat open to fill the remainder of his term. This means that the top three recipients of votes will have two-year terms, the fourth most vote recipient serving as full member for one year. The fifth and sixth highest vote recipients will serve as first and second Alternate, respectively. You may vote for up to 4 individuals.
Election of board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA. Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information]
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ISS SSTV received on SUWS WebSDR
On Saturday, September 6, at 1000 GMT Paulo PV8DX emailed the news that the International Space Station (ISS) Slow Scan Television (SSTV) on 145.800 MHz FM had been active again.
At the end of the passage (ISS) in northern Brazil where I live. I heard the sound of early SSTV. So I went to the WEBSDR in your area [the SUWS WebSDR near London, UK] and I got two images.
The ISS has been transmitting photographs devoted to the life and work of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. They were sent in the PD180 SSTV mode with additional voice commentary.
On August 27, 2014 a test of the ISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment MAI-75 using the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver and a new cable took place. Although a carrier was successfully transmitted on 145.800 MHz no SSTV audio tones were heard. It appears that the earlier problem has now been rectified. http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/23/iss-sstv-august-27/
The Kenwood TM-D710 was delivered to the ISS in the summer of 2012. The original TM-D700 in the Russian ISS Service Module had been experiencing problems with the PA after giving many years service in space, see ARISS minutes for March 2013. It is thought the Kenwood TM- D710 is set to run at just 5 watts output because convection cooling doesn’t work in zero gravity. http://www.ariss.org/meeting-minutes/archives/03-2013
David Barber G8OQW received some good images in Chelmsford, Essex which can be seen on the AMSAT-UK Facebook page.
Listen to the ISS and amateur radio satellites online using the SUWS VHF/UHF/Microwave WebSDR http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/
ISS Fan Club provides status and tracking information http://issfanclub.com/
How to hear the ISS http://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-hear-the-iss/
Paul Turner G4IJE, co-developer of the SSTV PD modes, says regarding the PD180 mode: “Don’t forget to either enable “Always show RX viewer” or use the “Picture viewer” (magnifying glass icon) to show the picture at its real resolution of 640 x 496. If you just view as normal you will only see 320 x 248 resolution, which kind of defeats the object of using a high resolution mode.”
Tony Falla VK3KKP commented “I received a good picture from ISS on my iPad mid-Saturday evening [AEDT] on 145.800 MHz just using the microphone next to the rig.”
The APRS digipeater in the European Space Agency ISS Columbus module continued to be in operation on 145.825 MHz during the SSTV transmissions.
All you need to do to receive SSTV pictures direct from the space station is to connect the audio output of a scanner or amateur radio transceiver via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device, and tune in to 145.800 MHz FM. You can even receive pictures by holding an iPhone next to the radio’s loudspeaker.
The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. The FM transmission uses the 5 kHz deviation which is standard in much of the world.
Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the wider deviation filters. Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.
On Windows PC’s the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app. The ISS Fan Club website will show you when the space station is in range.
For more on Slow Scan Television SSTV, see this article SSTV – The Basics http://www.essexham.co.uk/sstv-the-basics
How to be successful with the ISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) imaging system http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtoisssstv.html
Free MMSSTV Slow Scan TV software http://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php
iOS SSTV App https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sstv/id387910013
IZ8BLY Vox Recoder, enables you to record the signals from the ISS on 145.800 MHz while you’re away at work http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/
ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) Blog and Gallery http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.co.uk/
Information on the MAI-75 SSTV experiment http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/education-26.html
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Send your message “from the Moon”
The LuxSpace 4M amateur radio payload is expected to fly around the Moon at the end of October and you can upload a message to the 4M website that will be transmitted on 145.980 MHz using JT65B during the flight.
There is room for 2500 messages each up to 13 characters long. Your message could be your name/callsign or “73 de M5AKA”.
During the lunar flyby, the spacecraft will be about 399,636 km from Earth. The LuxSpace team wish to encourage radio amateurs around the world to receive the transmissions and send in data. There will be a number of Experiments and Contests with prizes to the winners in each experiment and category. Details are given on page 19 of 4M Mission: a Lunar FlyBy experiment.
4M stands for Manfred Memorial Moon Mission in memory of Professor Manfred Fuchs, founder and chairman of OHB group, Bremen, who passed away on April 27, 2014.
Register and Upload your message at http://moon.luxspace.lu/messages/
4M Mission: a Lunar FlyBy experiment https://ukamsat.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/lxs-4m-eme2014-a4-v3.pdf
Further information on this project is at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/09/01/4m-lunar-payload/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Contract to Build Es’hailSat Includes AMSAT-DL Phase 4 Transponders
Gunter Krebs reports on his Space Pages on the web that Es'hailSat has signed a contract with MELCO to build the Es'hail-2 geostationary comsat.
Es'hail 2 is a planned communication satellite operated by Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company. It will also feature an radio amateur payload.
The new satellite will be positioned at the 26° East hotspot position for TV broadcasting and significantly adds to the company’s ability to provide high quality, premium DTH television content across the Middle East and North Africa. It will feature Ku-band and Ka-band transponders to provide TV distribution and government services to strategic stakeholders and commercial customers who value broadcasting and communications independence, interference resilience, quality of service and wide geographical coverage. Es’hail 2 is expected to be launched at the end of 2016.
In September 2014, a contract with MELCO was signed to build the satellite based on the DS-2000 bus.
Es'hail 2 will also provide the first Amateur Radio geostationary communication capability linking Brazil and India. It will carry two "Phase 4" Amateur Radio transponders. The payload will consist of a 250 kHz linear transponder intended for conventional analogue operations in addition to another transponder which will have an 8 MHz bandwidth. The latter transponder is intended for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB amateur television. The uplinks will be in the 2.400-2.450 GHz and the downlinks in the 10.450-10.500 GHz amateur satellite service allocations. Both transponders will have broad beam antennas to provide full coverage over about third of the earth’s surface. The Qatar Amateur Radio Society andQatar Satellite Company are cooperating on the amateur radio project. AMSAT-DL is providing technical support to the project.
This story is posted at: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/eshail-2.htm
[ANS thanks Gunter's Space Pages for the above information]
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Chicago Media Coverage St. Joan of Arc School ARISS Contact
Here is a link to local Chicagoland coverage of the St. Joan of Arc ARISS contact:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/09/08/students-at-lisle-school-chat- with-astronaut-aboard-international-space-station
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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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 through Sunday, 12-14 September 2014 – ARRL Southwestern Division Convention 2014 in San Diego CA (near Montgomery Field and I- 805/CA-163 interchange) * Sunday, 25 October 2014 – Hamfest Chattanooga 2014 in Chattanooga TN (Alhambra Center, near TN-320 and I-75 exit 3) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* A direct contact via 4U1ITU with students at Institut Florimont, Petit-Lancy, Switzerland is scheduled for Wed 2014-09-17 08:17:28 UTC 88 deg.
To celebrate ESA’s 50th anniversary, an audience comprised of students from several countries will gather in the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG).
The nearby ITU (International Telecommunications Union) Headquarters hosts the amateur radio station 4U1ITU. This ARISS contact will be operated by the station’s trustee Attila Matas (HB9IAJ / OM1AM).
About 20 VIPs will be present in the 4U1ITU radio room (the “shack” in Ham parlance). Via a video link, the audience in the CICG will participate in the event.
Latest News
* September 9, 2014
A direct contact with students at Lanier Middle School and Lanier Cluster Schools in Sugar Hill, GA, USA via W4GR was successful at 11:16:25 UTC 83 deg.
Read and listen to a local media report about the contact:
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/sep/09/radio-contact- allows-lanier-students-to-talk-with/
Welcome to the Lanier Cluster, home of the Longhorns! We are a group of schools with a common goal: Learn, Lead, Succeed. We are comprised of one special needs preschool (The Buice School), three elementary schools (Sugar Hill Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, White Oak Elementary), one middle school (Lanier Middle), and one high school (Lanier High). Our schools are located in the greater Atlanta metro area in the largest school district in Georgia. Our schools and cluster are named after nearby Lake Lanier, which part of the Chattahoochee River system.
Our schools strive to create authentic learning environments for our students. Towards that end, our elementary schools, Lanier Middle, and Lanier High have project based learning programs for students. At Lanier High, students choose to be a part of a school within a school (academy model) as we guide students towards career and college readiness. Lanier High was also recently certified as a Georgia STEM high school, the only all-inclusive, traditional high school in Georgia that has received this STEM certification.
Our students are excited about science and space exploration. They have participated in regional and state science fairs, designed an experiment flown in microgravity, and chatted with a NASA Earth scientist live on NASA TV. They have presented at conferences, participated in robotics and app challenge events, and even won an Emmy for work on a 3D computer animation for a PBS documentary. The students of Lanier Cluster are excited to be a part of this ARISS contact!
September 8, 2014
A direct contact with students at St. Joan of Arc School, Lisle, IL, USA via K9LEZ was successful at 18:34:45 UTC 84 deg. Students interviewed astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO.
Listen to a local media report: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/09/08/students-at-lisle-school-chat- with-astronaut-aboard-international-space-station/
St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is located in Lisle, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. We are a pre-K to 8th grade school with about 600 students. St. Joan provides an educational environment which grants each student access to the highest quality and richest variety of integrated educational experiences within our means. We are committed to preparing our students to think critically and become confident, sensitive, Christian leaders capable of adapting and contributing to their community. Our school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence in 2011. Our school was named an IMSA (Illinios Math and Science Academy) Fusion School in 2012. Our school participated in NASA’s microgravity program through the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in 2013. The teachers directly involves in this contact completed the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) summer teacher institute program and are working with local radio amateurs to successfully complete this contact and to provide additional opportunities to our classrooms.
September 5, 2014
A direct contact with students in St. Petersburg, Russia was successful 2014-09-05 10:00 UTC. No other details are available at this time.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Keith, W5IU and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
*Patrick Stoddard in October QST
See AMSAT's own, Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK on page 79 of October's QST. The digital version is available online at http://www.arrl.org
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]
*Share your Experience
There are lots of hamfests that occur every month. Please try to get out and share your experiences. I attended the SFTARC hamfest on Saturday, September 13, 2014 in Gardner, KS. Randy, KD0HKD, gave a presentation and made a few contacts including one lady's first satellite QSO. My point is that with the new Fox-1 series of satellites being launched next year, the opportunity to welcome new members and operators is increasing. Let's begin attracting new membership by being present.
[ANS thanks Joe, K6WAO 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-278
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 Symposium Kickoff this Friday * AMSAT Annual Meeting Remote Participation via EchoLink * 2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Space Symposium Schedule, Presentations, and Social Events Now at AMSAT.org * 2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Space Symposium Online Registration Closes October 7, 2014 * 4M Lunar Ham Radio Payload Shipped * NASA Scholarship and Internship Opportunities * September/October 2014 AMSAT Journal is at the Print Shop * First FUNcube 73 on 73 Award Issued * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-278.01 ANS-278 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 278.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE October 5, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-278.01
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AMSAT Symposium Kickoff this Friday
The 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium in Baltimore Oct 10-12 is only a few days away. Don't miss this year's exciting programs, special events, Annual Meeting and 45th Anniversary celebration. On-line registration ends on Oct 7. But if you miss that, you can still attend through on-site registration. Our full program of activities is at www.amsat.org http://www.amsat.org and you can register by clicking on the AMSAT Store button.
Space Symposium highlights include:
AMSAT Annual Meeting: Saturday Oct 11 3:45-5:15 pm ET, to be Simulcast on the Echolink "*AMSAT*" Channel
Keynote Speaker: Jan King, W3GEY, founding member of AMSAT and former member of the Board of Directors & V.P. of Engineering. "Never, Never, Never Give Up!"
Special "Living Legend" Presentation: Tuskegee Airman, Col. Charles E. McGee, "The Tuskegee Experiment" followed by questions from the audience.
Friday Night Reception and Space Auction: Auction items include unique models of AMSAT Phase-IIIA, NASA Scout Launch Vehicle, NASA Mars Polar Lander (that crashed on Mars) and other items such as a John Glenn commemorative from the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Signed Astronaut Photos, and unique parts from AMSAT spacecraft of the past.
Banquet Prize Drawing: Lot of outstanding prizes, including a Flexradio 1500, Peet Bros Ultimeter 2000 Weather Station, Digital Antenna Analyzer from Quicksilver, Inc, Bird Wattmeter with free element, ARRL Gift certificates, and many, many others.
Outstanding Paper Presentations on AMSAT Fox Satellite Development, ARISS, Educational Outreach, CubeSats, and Satellite Operations.
Sunday Informal Tours to the Baltimore Inner Harbor (including the Aquarium), the B&O Railroad Museum, Edgar Allen Poe House or the National Electronics Museum.
Sunday ARISS Operations Team Meeting-open to all, especially those with an interest in ARISS
Monday bus tour to the Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum
Your Space Symposium Committee hopes you don't miss this outstanding Symposium experience in "Charm City" Baltimore, Maryland!
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA Symposium Committee for the above information]
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AMSAT Annual Meeting Remote Participation via EchoLink
The 2014 AMSAT Symposium will be held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct 10-12 in Baltimore. The Annual Meeting will be held Saturday afternoon from 15:45 - 17:15 EDT (19:45z - 21:15z) and will be broadcast via EchoLink on the *AMSAT* channel. The Annual Meeting includes a report to the membership by the President and Senior Officers and includes a question and answer session where members may ask senior officers and BoD members questions. Echolink participants may send questions using the text messaging feature of EchoLink.
Some of Friday and Saturday's Symposium presentations may also be available via EchoLink, as these will be used to test the EchoLink hardware, software, and Internet connection. See http://www.amsat.org for the Symposium schedule and the titles and times of the presentations.
If you haven't used EchoLink before, you need to download the software and validate your license *NOW*. EchoLink use is restricted to licensed radio amateurs, because EchoLink is frequently used to remotely key amateur radio transmitters and repeaters. The validation process is used to prove that you are licensed. See http://www.echolink.org for more information. EchoLink software is available for free for Windows, Linux, OSX, iPhone, iPad, and Android. An Internet connection is required.
Once you've started EchoLink, search for the *AMSAT* channel (node #101377), select it, and "Connect". The channel name includes asterisks (*) both before and after AMSAT.
[ANS thanks Steve Belter, N9IP and the AMSAT-NA Symposium Committee for the above information]
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2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Space Symposium Schedule, Presentations, and Social Events Now at AMSAT.org
The Symposium Committee has released the final agenda consisting of the schedule, list of presentations, and various social events and tours at the 2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Space Symposium. Information may be found at www.amsat.org on the front page, with more details under the Events tab. The full schedule in PDF format can be downloaded from either link.
Main: http://www.amsat.org/
Angenda: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=3295
Events, Trips, Tours: http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=2880
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA Symposium Committee for the above information]
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2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Space Symposium Online Registration Closes October 7, 2014
On line registration for the 2014 AMSAT-NA General Meeting and Symposium, and all associated activities will end at midnight EDT, October 7, 2014. (0400 UTC October 8th) Symposium registration will be $55 at the meeting. Please inquire for the availability of other activities when you register.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA Symposium Committee for the above information]
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4M Lunar Ham Radio Payload Shipped
Ghislain Ruy LX2RG reports the 4M Lunar flyby amateur radio payload was shipped on Thursday, October 2 and he departs for the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Sunday, October 5.
He says the lifetime of 4M is quite an unknown: it may be as short as 100 hours (so at least to the Moon) and could extend for some weeks if the attitude is favorable.
It is now known that the spacecraft will not re-enter the Earth atmosphere after the flyby but instead enter a wonderful orbit. You will find information animations and some JT65B test files at
https://cloud.luxspace.lu/public.php?service=files&t=33c4a21c09ba3736 a55fc09896e463f6
The launch will be transmitted by CNTV/CCTV: http://www.cntv.cn/ or http://english.cntv.cn/ or http://english.cntv.cn/live/p2p/index.shtml
LX2RG says the team are setting up their ground station, and are especially looking for southern hemisphere stations: ZS, VK and ZL, Southern America continent mainly, as they will be placed first hand for the early hours.
Launched is planned in a narrow window at 17:59:xx UTC on October 23 and flyby is to occur nominally on October 28 at 00:33 UTC. 4M is planned to start transmissions at 19:17 UTC, possibly with 10 minutes additional delay.
K1JT has developed a special version of WSJT. In addition of all the features of the standard version, it includes also the display and logging of the dT to three decimal places and the logging of the manual offset that can be entered in JT65B modes. This version should be used by all who wants to participate to the ‘Multilateration’ experiment. The participant to this experiment should also make sure that the clock of their PC stays synchronized to the UTC time. Desired accuracy should be within 1ms and within 10ms at the very least. Use of NTP synchronizing software is a must.
The special version can be downloaded with the following links: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT_10.0r4336a.exe https://cloud.luxspace.lu/public.php?service=files&t=2720825f74104b31 ebd699dcc0fd6268
The LuxSpace ground station comprises 2 x 8 element crossed Yagis from Joachims antenna (with an improved design to lower the back lobe), a SSB.de LNA and Yaesu antenna rotators.
Best regards. Ghislain Ruy LX2RG
Email ruy@luxspace.lu with “4M Amateur” in the subject
Read the paper 4M Mission: a Lunar FlyBy experiment http://tinyurl.com/4M-Mission-V3
EME 2014 slides: 4M, A Moon Flyby Mission http://tinyurl.com/4M-slides-eme2014
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) http://moon.luxspace.lu/
4M-LXS Lunar amateur radio payload http://amsat-uk.org/2014/09/01/4m-lunar-payload/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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NASA Scholarship and Internship Opportunities
OSSI NIFS -- Spring 2015 Opportunities NASA's One Stop Shopping Initiative for Internships, Fellowships and Scholarships, or OSSI NIFS, strives to provide high school students and undergraduate and graduate students at all institutions of higher education access to a portfolio of internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities offered by NASA mission directorates and centers.
Visit the Office of Education Infrastructure Division LaunchPad to find information on internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities. The site features the OSSI NIFS online application for recruiting NASA interns, fellows and scholars. This innovative system allows students to search and apply for all types of higher education NASA internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities in one location. A single application places the student in the applicant pool for consideration by all NASA mentors.
Applications for spring 2015 opportunities are due Oct. 12, 2014.
To find available opportunities and to fill out an online application, visit https://intern.nasa.gov/index.html.
Inquiries about OSSI NIFS should be submitted via https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message -- Oct. 2, 2014 for the above information]
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September/October 2014 AMSAT Journal is at the Print Shop
The September/October 2014 AMSAT Journal is complete and has been sent to our print shop. Look for it to arrive in your mailbox soon.
The Journal Team: JoAnne, K9JKM; Bernhard, VA6BMJ; Douglas, KA2UPW/2; and James, K3JPH extend our big thanks to all who contributed to this issue of the Journal.
Here is what you will find in this issue ...
+ Results of 2014 BOD Election
+ The Apogee View Column by Barry Baines, WD4ASW
+ AMSAT Fox-1 Challenge Coin
+ Using SatPC32 With HDSDR - Part 1: The DDE Interface by Steve Belter, N9IP
+ AMSAT Awards Update by Bruce Paige, KK5DO
+ AMSAT History - The Phase 2 Satellites by Bill Tynan, W3XO
+ RTL-SDR + SDR Radio + FUNcube = Fun! by Jason T. Charles, N4JTC
+ South Texas Balloon Launch Team BLT-41 Flight by Andy MacAllister, W5ACM
+ Minimalist Preamp Revisited by Mark Spencer, WA8SME
+ From AMSAT's History Archive - November 15 is AO-7 + 40 Years
+ Eyewitness Report - AMSAT at the ARRL Centennial Convention by E. Mike McCardel, KC8YLD
The AMSAT Journal is a membership benefit of AMSAT-NA. Not yet a member? All of the details of how to join are at http://www.amsat.org
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Team for the above information]
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First FUNcube 73 on 73 Award Issued
Paul Stoetzer N8HM reports the first AO-73 (FUNcube-1) 73 on 73 Award has been issued to Wyatt Dirks AC0RA.
The award aims to promote activity on AO-73 satellite. The requirements are straight-forward:
1. Work 73 unique stations on AO-73. 2. Contacts must be made on or after September 1, 2014. 3. There are no geographic restrictions on your operating location.
Congratulations to Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, for claiming 73 on 73 Award #1. He has submitted a list with a total of 74 unique calls worked on AO-73 since September 1.
It’s been great to hear all the activity on the satellite over the last few weeks. I look forward to hearing and working many more stations, especially after the end of Daylight Saving Time makes the evening passes a bit earlier!
73, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
Full details of the award at http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/18/73-on-73-award-announcement/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-BB & AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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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).
* Wednesday, 8 October 2014 – presentation at HacDC Amateur Radio Club (W3HAC) meeting in Washington DC (3rd floor of St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church – north of the White House) * Sunday, 25 October 2014 – Hamfest Chattanooga 2014 in Chattanooga TN (Alhambra Center, near TN-320 and I-75 exit 3) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* Winter Gardens Primary School, Canvey Island, United Kingdom and Pilton Bluecoat School, Barnstaple, United Kingdom, telebridge via W6SRJ. Contact is a go for: Wed 2014-10-08 10:08:49 UTC 40 deg
Winter Gardens School
Winter Gardens Primary School is a larger than average school on Canvey Island in Essex, England. It has two forms of entry catering for 60 children in each year group. Our school is full to capacity with 420 children from Foundation Stage (Reception – Age 4) up to Year 6 (Age 11). On the school site we also have the Winter Gardens Pre-School which caters for 60 children a day and the Winter Gardens Toddler Group which caters for children from birth upwards. Canvey Island is situated on the Thames estuary and is an actual Island. Close towns include Basildon and Benfleet and slightly further afield, Grays (Thurrock) and Southend. There are 12 schools on the Island, two of which are secondary schools. Winter Gardens Primary School is an active school not only within the local community, but also nationally and internationally. Children have taken part in many events in London and we regularly receive visitors from a school in Germany.
Pilton Bluecoat School Pilton Bluecoat is a state run Junior School catering for 250 children aged between 7 – 11 years that is situated on the North Devon coast in the South West of England. The school has excellent links with its community and is committed to providing a vibrant and active learning environment for students. The school prides itself in the high levels of academic attainment by the children as well as providing the children with a wide range of opportunities to enhance their personal development. Our school has been taking part in a whole school theme entitled ‘The Final Frontier.’ We have been looking at aspects of space and will include factual investigations, setting up fictitious scenario and looking at aspects of space travel and space history. All curriculum subjects will be integrated into the work, including mathematics and literacy. The children will be given the opportunity to explore their own ideas and facilitate their own learning pathways. Children will also have the opportunity to develop their creativity through aspects of art, music and science.
* A direct contact with students participating in Team Sky and Rocket (NPO Sora-TO-Rocket-Dan) in Kariya, Aichi, Japan is scheduled for Thu 2014-10-09. The contact will be via 8J2YSM at 09:00:05 UTC, 57 deg.
Team Sky and Rocket was founded in 2010. Activities include the production of a model rocket and launch by students. A lecture by a professor of Aerospace Engineering was part of the preparation for the space station contact. The program also held The Cosmic College" in collaboration with JAXA in 2012.
Latest News
* A telebridge contact with students at Gulf English School, Kuwait City, Kuwait and Language High School “Geo Milev”, Dobrich, Bulgaria scheduled for Thu 2014-09-25 will be rescheduled.
* From 2014-11-10 to 2014-12-07, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Keith, W5IU and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
*Space Debris Expert Warns of Increasing CubeSat Collision Risk
The increasing number of small 'CubeSat' satellites being launched combined with a relaxed attitude to debris mitigation could lead to hazards for all space users unless preventative measures are taken, warns a leading space debris expert from the University of Southampton.
Speaking at the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto, Dr Hugh Lewis said that this combination leads to a growth in space debris, as a result of collisions between CubeSats and other objects in orbit.
CubeSats are small satellites (around 10x10x10cm) that are providing opportunities for companies to break into the space data and communications industries. Despite many CubeSats not having any manoeuvring capability so they cannot avoid collisions during the mission or manoeuvre to a disposal orbit at their mission end, they are still perceived to have a low impact on the space debris environment.
However, despite guidelines requiring the satellites to deorbit within 25 years, some are being launched into high Earth orbits, which means their orbital lifetime could be much greater.
More than a third of all CubeSats launched to-date (around 160 between 2003 and 2013) are predicted to remain on-orbit for more than 25 years. Since 2005, CubeSats have been involved in more than 360,000 close approaches of less than 5 km with other orbiting objects.
Dr Lewis says: "To reduce the risks, some effort is needed to engage with the growing small satellite community. All space users, not just those in the CubeSat community, who are taking the right steps should be encouraged to continue and, ultimately, lead on sustainable practices and debris mitigation activities.
"Those who are not yet engaged with this approach should be encouraged to do so. It's probably a matter of changing their perceptions of the risks and helping them to understand that there is a collective responsibility to ensure that outer space activities are sustainable so that future generations have the same opportunities to use space as we do."
Dr Lewis and his team used their Debris Analysis and Monitoring Architecture to the Geosynchronous Environment (DAMAGE) model to simulate three future CubeSat launch traffic scenarios until the year 2043. By comparing these with close approach data from 2005 to 2013, the team found CubeSats are estimated to be involved in millions of close approaches over the next 30 years, with a handful leading to a collision.
Analysis of the close approaches found that most of the collision risk from CubeSats comes from high-speed encounters with large spacecraft. In addition, many of these encounters were in Sun- synchronous orbits that are popular with remote sensing and Earth science satellites.
Dr Lewis adds: "By far the greatest risk comes from those with long lifetimes at altitudes of about 750 km. If CubeSats continue to be launched into long-lived orbits without any means of disposing of them, then they will contribute to the growing space debris hazard. This is not a responsible or sustainable practice, in my view. However, if efforts are made to limit the lifetimes- as some are already doing - then the risks will be reduced."
http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Space_debris_expert_warns_of_ increasing_CubeSat_collision_risk_999.html
[ANS thanks spacemart.com for the above information]
*ISS Expedition 42 Poster Released
Radio amateur and astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZ0UDF has put the final touches to the official crew poster for the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 42. It is now available to download.
The poster parodies the popular The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is without doubt the best ISS crew poster yet released.
USA’s Terry Virts and Russia’s Anton Shkaplerov portray the two- headed Zaphod Beeblebrox, Russia’s Alexander Samokutyaev is Humma Kavula, USA’s Butch Wilmore is Arthur Dent, Russia’s Elena Serova is Ford Prefect with Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti as Trillian. NASA’s Robonaut 2 guest-stars as Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Samantha should launch from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on November 23, 2014 at 2059 UT (3:59pm EST) also flying with her in the Soyuz will be Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts. She is expected to return to Earth in May 2015.
Download the high resolution (57 MB) poster from http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/exp_42_sfaposternw-2014-07- 007_highres.pdf
Samantha Cristoforetti IZ0UDF on Twitter https://twitter.com/AstroSamantha
ISS Expedition 42 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition42/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-299
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 Journal Deadline Dates for 2015 * 4M Lunar Payload Update * LituanicaSAT-2 Announced * Lunar Ham Radio Payload Launched * UK Students CubeSat Project * GB1SS callsign for International Space Station * International African CubeSat WorkShop November 3-4 * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-299.01 ANS-299 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 299.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE October 26, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-299.01
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AMSAT Journal Deadline Dates for 2015
AMSAT Journal Editor, JoAnne, K9JKM has released the deadline dates for the 2015 issues of the AMSAT Journal. She noted that, "The AMSAT Journal is continuously searching for news, articles, and photos related to all of the activities of amateur radio in space."
In the past this has included satellite development, satellite history, ground stations, antennas, hardware development, software. We find that many items related to SDR, VHF, UHF, and microwave operating or roving are directly applicable to satellite operations. Educational outreach has been identified as a key area which AMSAT may use to leverage launch opportunities. The Journal welomes news, photos, and articles of ARISS contacts, University research and development, and STEM programs.
The deadlines for each AMSAT Journal, which is published six times per year, are:
ISSUE DEADLINE --------------------- ---------------- January/February 2015 December 20, 2014 March/April February 20, 2015 May/June April 20, 2015 July/August June 20, 2015 September/October August 20, 2015 November/December October 20, 2015
Send your input and questions to JoAnne at k9jkm@amsat.org
Additional opportunities for publication come from amateur satellite operators who have the gear and expertise to also receive interesting transmissions from non-amateur spacecraft and EME. Articles discussing how this is done are useful to our readers discovering they can do more with the station they have built.
AMSAT has posted a complete author's guide, "How to Write for the AMSAT Journal" at:
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1709
Our editors will work with you to finalize your article for publication.
[ANS thanks AMSAT Journal Editor, JoAnne, K9JKM, for the above information]
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4M Lunar Payload Update
On October 25 Ghislain Ruy LX2RG provided this update on the 4M lunar amateur radio payload. Signals from 4M are quite weak. This is not due to a loss of power as telemetry shows normal parameters, but to the attitude of the last stage that places a deep of the radiation pattern in the direction of the Earth. I hope that Earth’s movement with respect to the inertial attitude of the last stage will give better results in the coming days. The 4M is becoming a real challenge now, and receiving the signals during flyby will be quite an achievement. A little bit away from the original goal though, but this risk was known. One sure result is the radiation measurement that showed what was to be expected, and the graphs will soon be pubished on the blog. I hope you will be able to receive during the AMSAT-DL AGM this weekend, but you will have to put 16+dB [antenna] gain at least.
Radio amateurs are encouraged to receive and report the signals http://moon.luxspace.lu/receiving-4m/
For tracking information just enter your latitude and longitude at http://moon.luxspace.lu/tracking/
See the 4M payload Blog at http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/
Lunar Ham Radio Payload Launched http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/23/lunar-ham-radio-payload-launched/
4M Lunar Payload http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/15/4m-lunar-payload-integrated-keps- released/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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LituanicaSAT-2 Announced
The LituanicaSAT team has announced on Facebook that the LituanicaSAT-2 CubeSat will be coming soon.
It is hoped the CubeSat will be among 50 satellites launched in the 1st quarter of 2016 on the Ukrainian Cyclone 4 launcher from the Alcantara launch site built by Ukraine and Brazil. The new launch site is located near the Atlantic coast of Brazil just 2.3 degrees south of the equator.
LituanicaSAT-2 will be more complex than the first and will test a new propulsion system which will enable it to change orbit. Currently CubeSats deployed in very low Earth orbit may only last 3 months before burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere, the propulsion system could extend that up to 18 months.
Read the 15min.lt article about LituanicaSAT-2 in Google English at http://tinyurl.com/LituanicaSAT-2-15min
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lituanicasat1
You can watch a presentation by Gintautas Sulskus on the first LituanicaSAT CubeSat at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2014/presentation-videos/
LituanicaSAT-1 http://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/27/lituanicasat-1-cubesat/
QB50 to use Alcantara launch site http://amsat-uk.org/2014/01/28/qb50-cubesat-launch-contract-signed/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Lunar Ham Radio Payload Launched
The 4M amateur radio payload with a WSJT JT65B 145.980 MHz beacon was launched on Thursday, October 23 at 1759 UT.
The Chang’e-5-T1 mission 4M payload launched on the Chang Zheng CZ- 3C/G2 rocket from the LC2 launch complex at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan. The first telemetry from the JT65B beacon was received at 1918 UT in Brazil.
A number of Australian radio amateurs have reported receiving the signals from 4M. Among them was Rob Whitmore VK3MQ at Mount Dandenong, Victoria (QF22qe) who reports that at best, the strength was -13 on the JT65B scale and could also be totally down into the noise with no decodes.
He says “I am using the “Before” TLE as published on the Luxspace website with Gpredict to stear my 6 element yagi and TS2000. With Doppler the frequency is 145.9787 MHz at the time of writing. So far the decodes have included callsign, telemetry and a story of Manfred Fuchs threading through alternate decodes.”
Sam Jewell G4DDK @DXING Tweeted “Had around 40 minutes of near 100% copy from the moon probe 4M transmitter from around 1725z [Oct 24]. 9 element Yagi and K3/2m on 2m /JT65B”
The spacecraft will head into a Lunar Transfer Orbit (LTO), before performing a flyby around the Moon. Radio amateurs are encouraged to receive and report the signals. http://moon.luxspace.lu/receiving-4m/
For tracking information just enter your latitude and longitude at http://moon.luxspace.lu/tracking/
See the 4M payload Blog at http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/
4M Lunar Payload http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/15/4m-lunar-payload-integrated-keps- released/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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UK Students CubeSat Project
The Coventry Telegraph newspaper reports on students at Warwick University who are building their own satellite WUSAT-2. Lucy Lynch writes that eight engineering students are designing their own satellite which will be sent into space. In February or March 2015 they and the project director Dr Bill Crofts will don winter woollies and take their creation to a launch site in northern Sweden, near the town of Kiruna. It is the second student satellite designed at the university. The first one, last year, was sent up from mid Wales in a high altitude weather balloon. Once the current satellite has been launched the next step is to create a satellite capable of orbiting the Earth. Dr Crofts said: “This is a stepping stone to a full orbital launch.”
Read the full article at http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/meet-warwick-uni- students-who-7971498
Twitter @WUSAT_Team Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WarwickUniversitySatellite
UK Students Fly CubeSat to 30km http://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/10/uk-students-fly-cubesat-to-30km/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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GB1SS callsign for International Space Station
The RSGB reported that on October 9, 2014 Ofcom confirmed that the callsign GB1SS will be made available for issue to UK astronauts who wish to operate from the ISS.
In May 1991 the first UK astronaut Helen Sharman GB1MIR talked to radio amateurs around the world from the Mir space station. After a gap of 24 years it looks as though two more UK astronauts may be flying to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015.
One of the UK radio amateurs that Helen contacted all those years ago was Chris Lorek G4HCL he says: I remember it fondly! I and my three children all chatted with her on 2m using my club station call G4SMC (South Midlands Communications in Chandler’s Ford) on her next- but-last Mir pass over the UK before she came down. Steven (10 years old), David (8 years old) and Carolyn (5 years old) all said hello to her, each giving their name and age, with Steven asking whether there was a particular challenge she may have had. Helen replied, knowing it was very young children, that one difficult challenge she’d had was putting her socks on as she floated around the station!
In September 2015 Sarah Brightman hopes to become the 2nd UK astronaut, flying to the ISS on a 10 day mission. She is committed to encouraging young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In 2012 in conjunction with Virgin Galactic, she launched The Brightman STEM Scholarship program. It is not yet clear if she will operate the ISS amateur radio station during her mission.
Tim Peake was selected to train as an astronaut in 2009 and hopes to go to the ISS in November 2015. He holds the USA callsign KG5BVI and has recently been learning to use the Ericsson 144 MHz handheld radio which is installed in the Columbus module of the ISS. On September 18 Tim said “Will be great to chat with schools next year from space using this ham radio on board the ISS.”
There are two amateur radio stations on the ISS, one in the Russian Service Module, the other in the ESA Columbus Module. Almost any 144 MHz FM rig will receive signals from the ISS, you can even use a general coverage VHF scanner with an external antenna. As far as the antenna is concerned the simpler the better. A ¼ wave ground plane is a good antenna for the ISS as it has a high angle of radiation. Large 2m colinears may not work quite as well since the radiation pattern is concentrated at the horizon.
You can receive the ISS outdoors using a 2 metre hand-held with its helical antenna but a 1/4 wave whip will give far better results.
In the UK we use narrow 2.5 kHz deviation FM but the ISS transmits using the wider 5 kHz deviation used in much of the world. Most rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation filters so select the wider deviation. Hand-held rigs all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.
Voice contacts with astronauts usually take place using “split” frequencies. The astronauts transmit on 145.800 MHz and listen for replies on 145.200 MHz, you just need to activate your rig’s repeater shift. Recently, however, they have also been operating simplex listening on 145.800 MHz.
When astronauts are not on the air they usually leave the packet digi-peater running on 145.825 MHz so why not listen out for it.
ISS status and tracking information http://issfanclub.com/
http://amsat-uk.org/about/history/first-uk-astronaut-helen-sharman- gb1mir/
Sarah Brightman to fly to ISS http://amsat-uk.org/2014/09/04/sarah-brightman-to-start-space-flight- training-in-january/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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International African CubeSat WorkShop November 3-4
The French South African Institute of Technology at Cape Peninsula University of Technology is proud to host the 2nd International African CubeSat Workshop 2014.
The first ever International African CubeSat Workshop was hosted by F'SATI at Cape Peninsula University of Technology from 30 September to 2 October 2011. This workshop was a resounding success and followed by the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, held for the first time ever in Africa.
The Workshop will take place on 3 and 4 November 2014 in the ABC Building Lecture Theatre on the Bellville Campus of Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This year, the first Workshop day coincides with the French Day hosted by F'SATI and CampusFrance South Africa.
Registration to attend the 2nd International African CubeSat Workshop now open. Registrations close on 27 October 2014.
http://www.sarl.org.za/ http://fsati9.wix.com/cubesat-workshop
[ANS thanks the South African Radio League and the French South African Institute of Technology for the above information]
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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).
* Sunday, 25 October 2014 – Hamfest Chattanooga 2014 in Chattanooga TN (Alhambra Center, near TN-320 and I-75 exit 3) * Saturday, 8 November 2014 – Tucson Hamfest 2014 in Marana AZ (along I-10 west frontage road, east of exit 236) * Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US- 60 exit 177) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* Bisei Elementary School, Ibara, Japan, direct via 8N4STAR Contact is a go for: Mon 2014-10-27 08:52:46 UTC 41 deg
* From 2014-11-10 to 2014-12-07, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team.
Latest News
* A telebridge contact with members of The Explorers Club, New York City, New York, USA via IK1SLD was sucessful on Sat 2014-10-25.
The ARISS team reported: "Explorers Club Contact went well. 9 questions answered with a repeat on the first question. Apollo astronauts Charles Duke (Apollo 16 moonwalker) and Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7 LM pilot) were among those who asked questions. 2 ticketholders for Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2 also were among those who asked questions.
Our thanks to Claudio IK1SLD for an outstanding job as the telebridge station for today."
The Explorers Club is an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Founded in New York City in 1904, The Explorers Club promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. The Club’s members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts: First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon—all accomplished by our members.
The Explorers Club actively encourages public interest in exploration and the sciences through its public lectures program, publications, travel program, and other events. The Club also maintains Research Collections, including a library and map room, to preserve the history of the Club and to assist those interested and engaged in exploration and scientific research. The Club houses a radio room and amateur radio station K2XP.
On Oct. 25, 2014 The Explorers Club will host a special all-day event focusing on the history of human spaceflight at Explorers Club headquarters in New York. This year’s venue will feature astronauts and space-flight participants from several missions using the Cold War as a backdrop – Apollo, Soyuz, Space Shuttle and SpaceShipOne. The day will include a mix of straight-up talks, “Exploring Legends” interviews by Jim Clash, and panel discussions. Among confirmed story- tellers so far are Gen. Charles Duke, Apollo 16 moonwalker (and CapCom for the Apollo 11 lunarlanding); Richard Garriott and Greg Olsen, both of whom flew aboard Soyuz to ISS; four-time Shuttle/Soyuz veteran Leroy Chiao; Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 Lunar Module pilot; Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who performed a live flute duet with Ian Anderson aboard ISS (and who will play at the Club’s event); and Brian Binnie, who piloted SpaceShipOne to win the Ansari X Prize in 2004. The ARISS contact and interview will be an integral segment of this human-exploration experience and public discovery.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Keith, W5IU and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
* Theoretical Microwave Article Archive Available for Download
Microwave Review is a publication of national Society for Microwave Technique, Technologies and Systems and Serbia and Montenegro IEEE MTT-S Chapter. Free on-line access to all published articles between 1994-2013 can be found at: http://www.mtt-serbia.org.rs/microwave_review/home.htm
[ANS thanks Owen Roberts via the Microwave listserv for the above information]
* Beta testers wanted for Heavens-Above Android app
Hi all,
We are looking for beta testers for our new Heavens-Above Android app. A few features of the app: - Spacecraft visibility predictions based on current GPS location - Visibility calculations are done on the device, so you only need to go online once every few days to update the list of orbital elements - Works on phones and tablets - Live Sky Chart, which shows all currently visible satellites - Prediction of Iridium flares
There will be two versions of the app, one will be free of charge and will include advertisements, the other will be a paid for version without ads. The price is still to be determined.
To participate, just send me an email from your google mail account (or let me know the name of your Google account) and I will add you to the Heavens-Above testers community. You will then receive an invitation with further instructions on how to download and install the test version of the app. The first official release will be available to all for download from the Google play web site.
We have also set up a forum on the Heavens-Above site; http://www.heavens-above.com/forum/default.aspx?g=forum&c=5
Chris Peat chris.peat@heavens-above.com
[ANS thanks Seesat-l mailing list for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-320
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:
* Special-Event Station for 40th Anniversary of OSCAR 7 Launch * 4M – End of Mission * Predictions App for Deep Space Ham Radio Satellite * Allocate Portion of Your eBay Sales as a Donation to AMSAT * FUNcube-1's Birthday * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-320.01 ANS-320 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 320.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE November 16, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-320.01
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Special-Event Station for 40th Anniversary of OSCAR 7 Launch
Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK/VA7EWK has secured the special call sign W7O (WHISKEY SEVEN OSCAR) for use in commemorating the 40th anniversary of the launch of OSCAR 7 on 15 November 1974. He plans on having this call on the air between 15 and 24 November 2014, working satellites and possibly other bands. He will work satellite passes from Arizona, including AO-7 passes, and hopes to recruit a small group of operators who can work other passes that cover eastern North America along with other places that he can’t work from his home QTH (i.e. Europe, north Africa, South America). He may also recruit some operators to work HF with this call.
Patrick will handle the QSL requests for W7O during this period.
“I am thinking of incorporating the original QSL card design AMSAT used to confirm AO-7 reception reports from the 1970s in the W7O card. (Does anyone have a good scan of both sides of that 1970s QSL card? Not the 30th anniversary AO-7 card – I have those, and there is a copyright on that design I do not wish to violate.) The QSL cards will be printed after the W7O activity wraps up. I will also upload W7O QSOs to ARRL’s Logbook of the World system.”
Please contact Patrick directly (patrick at wd9ewk dot net) if you have any questions related to this operation, or if you are willing to operate on satellites and/or HF as W7O during this 10-day period.
*Late Breaking*
Patrick followed up the original announcement with this communication of directives via the AMSAT-BB.
“Thanks to all who have posted in public forums and sent me private e-mails about the upcoming W7O operation. I am now ready to take sign-ups for those who would like to operate as W7O during the 15-24 November (UTC time) period.
“An important point regarding who can operate as W7O… W7O can only be operated from US territory, where amateur radio is regulated by the FCC. It cannot be used from outside US territory, as these 1×1 special calls – just like US club calls – are not covered by any of the arrangements like CEPT, IARP, or other agreements between the USA and other countries. I have been asked by some non-USA hams who were interested in operating as xxx/W7O or W7O/xxx in their countries. I’m sorry – this is not possible.
“For the HF/6m operating, I will take signups for one-hour increments on the HF bands (excluding 60m) plus 6m, for CW, phone, and digital modes. For the 30m band, only CW and digital modes. I am wanting to avoid two stations operating on the same band/mode combination as W7O at the same time. If you are willing to operate for 2, 4 or more hours at one time – please feel free to sign up for more consecutive slots. Also, please let me know about your HF station – rig(s), antenna(s), etc. If you do sign up, please follow through with being on the air at the specified times. Stations will be looking for W7O on the different bands.
“For the satellites, I am looking for operators in different parts of the USA. In particular, operators in the eastern USA capable of working Europe, north Africa, and South America along with North America will be welcomed. Other operators who are not able to work other continents are also welcome, but there has been interest from hams outside of North America to work W7O on the satellites – especially AO-7. I plan on working W7O on the satellites during weeknights and as much as possible on the two weekends during this 10- day period, but would be happy to share the work with others who may want to work as W7O during those times.
“Operators would need to operate within the limits of their amateur licenses. The W7O call does not grant additional privileges to the operator. Operators are required to give their personal call signs once per hour when operating under a 1×1 special call. For example, saying “W7O, operated by (operator’s call)” would satisfy this requirement. On the satellites with passes that are typically 10 to 20 minutes in length, giving the “W7O, operated by (operator’s call)” announcement around the midpoint of each pass worked would be a good thing.
“Once I get some operating commitments from operators, I will publish the schedule through a link on my WD9EWK QRZ.com entry and my web page. This way, others will know where and when to look for W7O during this 10-day period.
“After the 24th, W7O operators would need to send me a log of stations worked, with the usual bits of data – date/UTC time, call, band (or bands, for satellite QSOs), mode, and (for satellites) satellite name. I can handle ADIF log files, Excel spreadsheets, text files, and logs pasted into the body of e-mails. If you are not able to send me a file in any of these formats, please let me know, so we can work out a way to get the logs. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, and I (WD9EWK) will handle the QSL cards for W7O.
“Please e-mail me directly (patrick at wd9ewk dot net) if you’re interested in operating as W7O, or if you have any other questions about this operation.”
[ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information]
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4M – End of Mission
The JT65B amateur radio payload, which successfully completed a lunar flyby, has fallen silent after transmitting for 438 hours.
During the afternoon of November 10 the battery voltage dropped from 13.1V to 12.1V and continued falling. The last signal was received by Rein W6SZ at 01:35 UT on November 11 when the battery voltage had fallen to 8.4 volts.
Ghislain LX2RG posted the following to the Moon Net list: Here at Luxspace, we have to thank you all for the reports, for the tracking, and we also hope that we provided you with the challenges you expected.
4M may possibly awaken from time to time if illumination becomes better.
We shall now endeavor to prepare the next one.
Manfred Memorial Moon Mission (4M) LX0OHB-4M http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/
4M Lunar Payload http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/15/4m-lunar-payload-integrated-keps- released/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Predictions App for Deep Space Ham Radio Satellite
Two amateur radio satellites ARTSAT2: DESPATCH (437.325 MHz CW) and Shin’en 2 (145/435 MHz linear transponder + 437 MHz WSJT) should be launched into deep space at the end of November.
Masahiro JI1IZR has announced that prediction software is available for ARTSAT2: DESPATCH: One of the new deep space small satellites, “ARTSAT2: DESPATCH”, will be launched on the end of this month. I developed a predict utilities that display the information got from the Web API data provided by the “ARTSAT” project team.
You can get the utilities and information from: http://ji1izr.air-nifty.com/ham_satellite/in_english/index.html
You will also have the information of the satellite “ARTSAT2: DESAPTCH” from: http://artsat.jp/en/project/despatch http://pre.artsat.jp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ despatch_abstract_en_ver1.0.1.pdf
I appreciate your notice for the project. Thank you. Masahiro Sanada JI1IZR
Art and Ham Radio in Deep Space http://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/03/art-and-ham-radio-in-deep-space/
Shin’en 2 has a linear transponder http://amsat-uk.org/2014/09/01/japanese-asteroid-mission-to-carry- amateur-radio/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Allocate Portion of Your eBay Sales as a Donation to AMSAT
If you are selling items via eBay consider making a donation to AMSAT by allocating a portion of your sale.
eBay describes their program as, "Integrated into eBay's regular buying and selling platform, eBay Giving Works makes it easy for people to support important causes, both in the U.S. and abroad. It enables sellers to donate a portion of their sales and buyers to shop while supporting their favorite charities - all the while giving nonprofits an opportunity to engage new supporters."
Here is a link to AMSAT on the eBay Giving Works program. It includes information on how to sell via the Giving Works program: http://tinyurl.com/amsat-ebay
eBay users can also make direct contributions to any eBay Giving Works-listed nonprofit using their PayPal account.
[ANS thanks eBay for the above information]
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FUNcube-1's Birthday
The FUNcube Team reports: It seems amazing to us that FUNcube-1 – AO73, was launched nearly one year ago, in fact at 07:10 UTC on 21 Nov 2013. The very first signals were received by ZS1LS in South Africa at 07:37 UTC and he was even able to upload the resulting data to the Warehouse so the results could be seen immediately.
We are extremely happy to say that, since then, the satellite has been performing very satisfactorily, the battery voltage doesn’t drop below 8 volts, and becomes fully charged within about 7 – 10 minutes after re-entering sunlight from eclipse.
On Friday 21 Nov 2014, we will be celebrating the satellite’s first birthday. To mark the occasion, we will be activating the transponder earlier than normal – late on Thursday 20 Nov, so that it will be available for use during the whole of Friday. So please make as many contacts as possible through the transponder during Friday, FUNcube’s actual birthday. You are invited to make a note of any stations worked on this day, or any other comments on the FUNcube Forum. Please use the existing “FUNcube-1's Birthday” topic, under the Welcome heading. The URL of the Forum is http://forum.funcube.org.uk/
Please also remember the ’73 on 73" Award which is kindly being organized by Paul Stoetzer N8HM. See http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/ for more details.
We would like to take this opportunity of thanking all of our 'users’, both those who download telemetry and forwarding it to the warehouse, and of course, all users of the transponder. This telemetry data is invaluable, both as an educational resource and to enable us to see how the spacecraft systems are performing and surviving. So far we have collected almost 400MB of unique data via stations from all around the world.
Of course we are hoping that the satellite continues to function nominally for several more years to come even though we may never reach AO7’s record!
The AMSAT-UK Flickr Group is at https://www.flickr.com/groups/amsatuk/ Please upload your pictures of amateur satellites, satellite ground stations, satellite demonstrations or any other satellite related event.
73 on 73 Award http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/
Data Warehouse – Telemetry Archive http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/
Dashboard App – Telemetry Decoder http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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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, 6 December 2014 – Superstition Superfest 2014 in Mesa AZ (Mesa Community College, Dobson Road between Southern Avenue & US-60 exit 177) * Sunday, 4 January 2015 – Ham Radio University in Bethpage NY (Briarcliff College) * Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2015 in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads) * Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3) * Saturday TBD in mid-March 2015 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Scottsdale AZ * Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ (22nd Street, east of Columbus Blvd.) * Saturday TBD in early May 2015 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ * Saturday TBD in early June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* From 2014-11-10 to 2014-12-07, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team.
Latest News
* Lycée Européen Charles de Gaulle, Dijon, France, telebridge via IK1SLD. Contact was successful at 2014-11-13 09:00 UTC 48 deg
The ARISS team reported: "The Russian telebridge contact with Lycée Charles de Gaule in Dijon, France went very well. Cosmonaut Elene Serova gave detailed answers and 9 questions were answered. Signals were loud and clear. Claudio IK1SLD did an excellent job, as usually.
Audience of 150, including school teachers and students as well as regional and local authorities listened in. "
[ANS thanks ARISS, Gaston, ON4WF and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
Updated W7O QSO Information
I'll be on AO-73 this (Friday 11/14) evening as W7O, for the pass around 0458 UTC. On Saturday morning(11/15), I'll work 3 passes before I get tied up with work-related stuff...
SO-50 at 1422 UTC FO-29 at 1430 UTC AO-73 at 1651 UTC
From what I've heard, John K8YSE/7 made the first W7O satellite QSO this evening on SO-50 at 0011 UTC. Christy KB6LTY was on the W7O mic from southern California for that QSO. I know others have been working HF as W7O, and I'm gaining operators and filling more slots in the W7O HF schedule. Sounds like there have been some interesting stories from stations working W7O, including some who worked the satellite in its first lifetime in the 1970s.
Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to work as W7O, whether on the satellites or the HF bands. The number of W7O lookups on QRZ was reset when I put the current information on there, and several hundred lookups have been recorded already. There is interest among the ham community in this old satellite. 73!
[ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK and the AMSAT-BB for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-341
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 Board Approves Technology Development Seed Funding * November/December AMSAT Journal is Ready * AMSAT SKN ON OSCAR 2015 * ARISS Discusses Ham TV, Elects New International Officers * Amateur radio spacecraft received over 1 million km from Earth * Japanese Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads are Launched into Deep Space * HAMSAT II – Dhruva Space and AMSAT India * SpinSat Now in Orbit * Surrey Space Centre SME-SAT * AMSAT Events * Call for Proposals ARISS Contact Opportunity * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-341.01 ANS-341 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 341.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE December 7, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-341.01
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AMSAT Board Approves Technology Development Seed Funding
The AMSAT Board of Directors met on December 2, 2014. As a part of AMSAT's "Design The Next AMSAT Satellite" challenge, the Board of Directors approved $5000, within the 2015 engineering budget, to be used as seed money for future satellite development. Additional fund raising sources will also be investigated and pursued.
AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said, "We're prepared to return to space starting in 2015 with a fleet of satellites that will equal, if not exceed, the performance, and availability to the average ham, of our previously popular AMSAT OSCAR 51. Meanwhile, we are preparing for the future looking to potentially leverage new technologies, to provide the best opportunities for enhancing amateur radio's presence in space."
Director Tom Clark, K3IO, noted the need for a defined future systems program. Tom said, "We saw a significant number of both new and old members who want to see the development of critical system elements for future opportunities by 2018-20. As I see it, critical 'tall poles' in applying potential technologies require significant work to begin now to ensure success."
AMSAT is interested in supporting technology ideas that enhance the utility of using the CubeSat form factor to support more robust amateur satellite capabilities. The scope of potential interest in not limited; some examples of technology enhancement might include:
+ Microwave technology suitable for use in amateur spacecraft. This includes the need to identify optimum frequency bands.
+ Complementary, low-cost ground systems, including an effective ~1º antenna pointing system.
+ Define and develop optimum coding and modulation schemes for low power microwave use.
+ Attitude determination & control systems to point the spacecraft antennas towards the user while maximizing solar panel production.
Individuals interested in learning more about this initiative should contact AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY (n0jy at amsat.org).
Meanwhile, the development of AMSAT's current series of the Fox-1 cubesats continues on schedule. AMSAT Vice-President of Engineering, Jerry Buxton, N0JY reported during the Board meeting that construction and testing of five Fox satellites is on schedule:
+ Fox-1A will launch on a NASA ELaNa flight during the 3rd quarter of 2015 from Vandenberg AFB,
+ Fox-1B will fly with the Vanderbilt University radiation experiments expected in 2016.
+ Fox-1C will launch on Spaceflight's maiden mission of the SHERPA multi-cubesat deployer during the 3rd quarter of 2015. This flight was purchased by AMSAT.
+ Fox-1D is a flight spare for Fox-1C. If not needed as a spare it will become available to launch on any open launch slot which becomes available and be submitted in a CSLI proposal in 2015.
+ Fox-1E is built as a flight spare for Fox-1B but has been included in a student science proposal as part of the November, 2014 Cubesat Launch Initiative (CSLI) for an ELaNa flight slot. If selected the Fox-1B spare will fly as Fox-1E.
More details of the "Design The Next AMSAT Satellite" challenge can be found on-line at: http://www.amsat.org/?p=3395 - and - in the November/December 2014 AMSAT Journal, currently in- transit to your QTH.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board Of Directors for the above information]
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November/December AMSAT Journal is Ready
The November/December 2014 AMSAT Journal is completed and has been sent to the print shop.
The contents of this issue include:
+ AMSAT Announcements + Apogee View + November 15 - 40th Anniversary of AO-7 Launch + A Checklist to Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! Jerry Buxton, N0JY + AMSAT Engineering Update Jerry Buxton, N0JY + Satrack - Doppler and AZ/EL Control Software Pedro Converso, LU7ABF + Operating FO-29 from CN73 Lee (Doc) Ernstrom, WA7HQD + Taking Part in the ARISS Project on a $500 Budget Dr. Michael Butler, MA, MSc, PhD, G4OCR + How to Get Your AMSAT Challenge Coin + AMSAT Field Operations Report Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK + ARISS 2014: A Program in Transition Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, et al + An Eyeball QSO in India Burns Fisher W2BFJ
Thanks to all who contributed!
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal for the above information]
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AMSAT SKN ON OSCAR 2015
You are cordially invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2015, sponsored by AMSAT for radio amateurs throughout the world.
This year's event is being held in memory of Captain Charles Dorian, W3JPT, who passed away in 2014, aged 92. Chuck, who had held many senior positions in the U.S. Coast Guard, was one of AMSAT's earliest members and served as secretary of the Board of Directors.
Participation in AMSAT SKN on OSCAR is easy and fun. Just operate CW, using a straight key or non-electronic "bug," through any amateur satellite between 0000 and 2400 UTC on January 1, 2015. There is no need to send in a log, but all participants are asked to nominate someone they worked for "Best Fist." Your nominee need not have the best fist of those you heard, only of those you worked. Send your nomination to w2rs@amsat.org. A list of "Best Fist" nominees will be published in early February.
[ANS thanks Ray, W2RS for the above information]
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ARISS Discusses Ham TV, Elects New International Officers
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is continuing explore the possibility of establishing a network of ground stations to enable the use of the Ham TV video system during ARISS school contacts. Mark Steiner, K3MS, updated the ARISS International team on the topic during its November meeting, conducted by teleconference. Kerry Banke, N6IZW, who works on ARISS hardware issues, reported that a document under development will describe just what is required to build a ground station. He and ARISS International Project Selection & Use Committee representative Lou McFadin, W5DID, have successfully received Ham TV transmissions.
ARISS-EU President Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, has been working with European Space Agency (ESA) management to finalize the agreement that transfers custody of the Ham Video transmitter from ESA to ARISS. Steiner told the teleconference that more “blank” test transmissions could take place, once the custodial agreement is finalized.
NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, successfully installed and commissioned the ARISS) Ham Video system last March. The system can transmit video of the crew and the interior of the Columbus module on the 2.4 GHz band (S-band). Last April, Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, served as the host for a successful final commissioning pass for the Ham Video transmitter and camera. The ARISS project, led initially by ARISS-EU, AMSAT-Italy, and ESA, would enhance ARISS school contacts by providing a video and audio downlink, plus an audio-only uplink.
Operating under the call sign OR4ISS, the S-band transmitter can be connected to one of two ARISS patch antennas on Columbus. Radiated RF power is on the order of 10 W EIRP. The commissioning process primarily involved making sure that ground stations in Europe would be able to copy the DTV downlink signal. Commissioning of the overall “Ham TV” system culminated more than a decade of planning and preparation.
During the November 18 teleconference ARISS International delegates re-elected the current slate of officers for new 2-year terms starting on January 1, 2015. The incumbents are ARISS Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO; ARISS Vice-Chair Oliver Amend, DG6BCE, and ARISS Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO. In keeping with tradition, Canada’s ARISS delegate Ian MacFarquhar, VE9IM, handled the election logistics.
[ANS thanks ARISS, ARRL, & AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Amateur radio spacecraft received over 1 million km from Earth
Michal Zawada SQ5KTM received signals from the ARTSAT2:DESPATCH and Shin’en2 spacecraft on Friday evening, December 5 at a distance of around 1,100,000 km from Earth.
Ham radio spacecraft launched into deep space http://amsat-uk.org/2014/12/03/ham-radio-spacecraft-launched-into- deep-space/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Japanese Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio Payloads are Launched into Deep Space
This week, Japan successfully launched its Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample-return mission into deep space, and with it, two satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads. A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) rocket lifted off on schedule early on December 3 (UTC), carrying the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft on the first leg of its journey to Asteroid 1999 JU3. Along for the ride into deep space are two Amateur Radio satellites, Shin'en 2 (Abyss 2) and ARTSAT2: DESPATCH. The launch had been postponed twice owing to unfavorable weather conditions. Shin'en 2 will identify as JG6YIG, while ARTSAT2:DESPATCH will use the call sign JQ1ZNN.
Shin'en2 carries a 0.1 W CW beacon on 437.505 MHz and telemetry on 437.385 MHz (0.8 W) using a mode similar to WSJT. It will also carry a F1D digital store-and-forward transponder with an uplink of 145.942 MHz and a downlink at 435.270 MHz (0.4 W), but not the Amateur Radio Mode J linear transponder announced earlier. The data format is posted on the Kagoshima University website.
A linear SSB/CW transponder had been part of the initial design, but, according to Hideo Kambayashi, JH3XCU, that had to be abandoned because of regulatory issues. The digital transponder will offer earthbound hams an opportunity to test the limits of their communication capabilities, however. The project also is hoping to gather listener reports.
ARTSAT2:DESPATCH carries a 7 W CW transmitter on 437.325 MHz. Onboard will be the first sculpture ever to be carried into deep space. The ARTSAT2: DESPATCH mission is seeking "exceptionally skilled ham operators" as part of its "cooperative diversity communication" experiment. This effort will attempt to intercept signals from the spacecraft not only at the ground station in Tokyo, but at Amateur Radio stations around the world, "in order to reconstruct the original data from the spacecraft."
"Reception of such weak signals to reconstruct data from the spacecraft will require the expertise of exceptionally skilled ham operators," the satellite's developers explained.
The two spacecraft will have an elliptical orbit around the Sun and travel to a deep space orbit between Venus and Mars. With an orbital inclination of nearly zero, the spacecraft should stay in Earth's equatorial plane. The distance from the Sun will be between approximately 6.5 million and 12 million miles.
[ANS thanks ARRL and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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HAMSAT II – Dhruva Space and AMSAT India
The Economic Times report Dhruva Space, a two-year-old start-up co- founded by space technologist and ham radio operator Sanjay Nekkanti VU3ISS/AB3OE, sealed a deal with AMSAT India on November 30, 2014 to develop HAMSAT II. VUsat-OSCAR-52_HAMSAT
It will be the successor to HAMSAT VO-52 which went silent on July 11, 2014 due to the failure of the on-board lithium ion batteries. HAMSAT provided a valuable communications resource for the amateur radio community for over 9 years.
Dhruva’s satellites are expected to be launched on ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Nekkanti said his team is working closely with the space organization for design approvals and testing of the satellite.
The AMSAT India Secretary Nitin Muttin, VU3TYG has released this statement:
We are pleased to announce that AMSAT India and Dhruva Space Pvt. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 30th 2014 to pursue the development of a follow up mission to HAMSAT launched in 2005 on-board the PSLV-C6. HAMSAT II is envisioned to fill the gap created by the recent end of life of HAMSAT and shall continue servicing the societal needs in disaster management, amateur/emergency radio communications and education.
Some of the contemplated payloads for HAMSAT II include: * U/V Analog FM Transponder * U/V Linear Transponder, 50 kHz * APRS Digipeater * Digitalker
Read The Economic Times article at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/45354501.cms
AMSAT India http://amsatindia.org/
[ANS thanks Dinesh, AB3DC and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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SpinSat Now in Orbit
The US Naval Research Laboratory SpinSat satellite was successfully deployed from the International Space Station on November 28. SpinSat arrived at the ISS on September 21 via the SpaceX Falcon 9 resupply vehicle. For the next few days, SpinSat's orbit will approximate that of the ISS. The ISS real-time tracker on the ISS Fan Club website can show when the spacecraft are within range.
The 125-pound SpinSat, a 22- inch diameter sphere, carries a 2 W 9600 bps AX.25 packet radio store-and-forward system on 437.230 MHz. The satellite's primary mission is to demonstrate a new micro- thruster technology, from which SpinSat derives its name; its 12 electronically controlled solid-propellant thrusters will be fired in pairs to spin the spacecraft.
Equipped only with primary batteries and just 4.8 grams of fuel, the satellite's working phase is expected to last up to 6 months
[ANS thanks ARRL and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Surrey Space Centre SME-SAT
The Surrey Space Centre (SSC) are developing a 3U CubeSat SME-SAT expected to launch into a 550-620 km orbit using the ISIPOD CubeSat deployer.
The mission objectives are: A: Outreach – The satellite will provide beacons for which amateur satellite users and ham radio users will be able to receive. B: Space qualification and performance characterisation of sensors. * High performance COTS Gyroscopes (x3). * High precision MEMS accelerometers. * Aperture Star Camera, At a later point in the mission these will be used in conjunction with the ADCS to characterise the closed loop performance of the sensors. C: Performance characterisation of Nano-Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) for agility. The mission is equipped with 4-Nano-CMGs in a pyramid configuration for ADCS. This part of the mission will evaluate the performance of this system on the ADCS and agility of the satellite. D: Space qualification and performance characterisation of the EPS The EPS for this mission has heritage from the Delfi-C3 and other missions and includes additional improvements to be demonstrated on this mission. E: Smart Thermal Radiation Devices (STRD tiles) SME-SAT is equipped with a number of STRD tiles on the outside faces of the satellite for passive thermal management of the internal structure. F: Flux Gate Magnetometer The mission contains a scientific grade miniaturized flux gate magnetometer that sits on the end of a deployable boom to improve the performance of the sensor. This payload will be switched into the ADCS for evaluation of performance during parts of the mission but is not the primary magnetometer for ADCS. G: GPS SME-SAT also contains an experimental GPS system that will be switched into the ADCS loop at stages in the orbit to evaluate the performance of the system.
Planning a 9k6 RC-BPSK UHF downlink using AX25.
Further information at http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ssc/research/space_vehicle_control/smesat/ index.htm
IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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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, 11-12 December 2014 – Tampa Bay Hamfest in Plant City FL (Agricultural Show Center)
* Sunday, 4 January 2015 – Ham Radio University in Bethpage NY (Briarcliffe College)
* Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2015 in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads)
* Saturday, 14 February 2015 – Greater Los Angeles Mensa Regional Gathering 2015 in Los Angeles CA (Concourse Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport) – satellite- and AMSAT-related presentation
* Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
* Saturday TBD in mid-March 2015 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Scottsdale AZ
* Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ (22nd Street, east of Columbus Blvd.)
* Saturday TBD in early May 2015 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ
* Saturday TBD in early June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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Call for Proposals ARISS Contact Opportunity
Proposal Window October 17 to December 15, 2014.
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is December 15, 2014. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact.
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL (American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA.
More Information
Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS.
For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact.
Please direct any questions to ariss@arrl.org.
[ANS thanks ARISS, AMSAT-Edu, and the ARRL for the above information]
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ARISS News
Upcoming Contacts
* From 2014-11-10 to 2014-12-07, there will be no US Operational Segment (USOS) hams on board ISS. So any schools contacts during this period will be conducted by the ARISS Russia team.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Gaston, ON4WF and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
COSMOS-2491 RS-46
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB reports that the COSMOS-2491 satellite carries RS-46 operating on 435.465 MHz and 435.565 MHz (+/- Doppler).
The satellite was launched on December 25, 2013 and is in a 1,515.8 km by 1,489.1 km 82.5 degree inclination orbit.
Track COSMOS-2491 / RS-46 at http://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=39497
Listen for RS-46 online with the SUWS WebSDR located near London http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/
COSMOS-2499 Callsign RS-47!
COSMOS-2499 (2014-028E) was launched on May 23, 2014 and is now in a 1,510.6 km by 1,158.8 km 82.4 degree orbit. Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB has received signals from the satellite on approximately 435.465 MHz and 435.565 MHz (+/- Doppler). On November 30 the satellite started identifying itself in Morse code on 435.465 MHz as RS-47.
There has been some mystery concerning the purpose of COSMOS-2499. In a post updated November 20, 2014 Anatoly Zak @RussianSpaceWeb wrote: Ground observations indicated that the mystery satellite had not exceeded 0.3 meters in size. Previously, two Rockot launches with trios of Rodnik/Strela-3M launches also carried Yubileiny (a.k.a. MiR) experimental satellites with a reported mass from 48 to 100 kilograms. As with the previous launch, observers were at a complete loss about the possible purpose of the satellite.
Cosmos-2499 has made a number or orbital changes since it was first launched. For further information see http://www.russianspaceweb.com/Cosmos-2499.html
Track COSMOS-2499 / RS-47 at http://www.n2yo.com/?s=39765
Listen for RS-47 online with the SUWS WebSDR located near London http://amsat-uk.org/2014/08/15/suws-websdr-moves-to-new-site/
RS-47 Telemetry data http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=52752
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB describes receiving the 435.465 MHz and 435.565 MHz signals at http://tinyurl.com/R4UAB-COSMOS-2499
[ANS thanks Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
Job Opportunity: Quantum CubeSat Electronics and Software Engineer
The Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is looking for a talented and motivated engineer with electronics and software expertise to join a young and dynamic team developing science-grade cubesats to host state-of-the-art, quantum communications experiments. The successful candidate will be responsible for the electronics and software of the satellite platform and will be engaged in the complete cycle of satellite development from PDR, to operation of satellites in space. They will work with the team to:
Specify and integrate spacecraft subsystems from our contracted cubesat company. Develop software to run the experiments and downlink the data via an s-band network. Perform extremely rigorous on-the-ground testing and verification of the satellite and its payload. Assist with electronics and software related issues with the satellite and the payload as they arise.
They will need to be comfortable in a small-team academic environment, flexible to changing priorities and requirements, and they will need to develop a good understanding and appreciation of the science payload and its working so as to best fulfill their duties.
A proven track-record in developing successful, optimized, electronics and software for control of experiments and instrumentation in space or similar harsh environments is required. Previous experience with the space industry, space hardware and/or cubesats is very desirable but all cubesat-specific technical training can be provided on-the-job by an internationally successful cubesat company.
For an overview article on the project see: http://www.quantumlah.org/media/story/2012_OPN_Alexfeature.pdf
Both Singaporeans and international applicants are encouraged to apply. NUS is a globally ranked university and Singapore is a clean, vibrant, multicultural English-speaking country with very high standards of living. Salary is based on experience and skills but will be internationally competitive.
Interested candidates should send a CV and cover letter to cqtrb@nus.edu.sg and cqtalej@nus.edu.sg
[ANS thanks CubeSat.org mailing list 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-362
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 Awards Update * FUNcube-1 in full-time transponder mode * NASA Cube Quest Challenge Summit Jan 7th & 8th * AMSAT Events * Russian ISS School Contacts * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-362.01 ANS-362 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 362.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE December 28, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-362.01
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AMSAT Awards Update
As 2014 draws to an end and we look at all the accomplishments hams have made towards satellite operation and those that have entered the satellite community I would like to thank all of those that have made the year what it was. Those that took time off to travel and work satellites from semi-rare and rare grid squares, those that operated for the AO-7 special event, those that helped build, test and launch satellites and especially those that nurture students in elementary through college grades.
Here are our latest inductions into some of the AMSAT awards community.
The following have entered into the Satellite Communicators Club for making their first satellite QSO.
David Barholomew, AD7DB John Bartholomew, N7JY Walter Dilley, KD7DNY Nicolas Romero, KG5BON
To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or http://www.amsatnet.com/awards.html
Bruce Paige, KK5DO AMSAT Director Contests and Awards ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE Houston AMSAT Net - Wed 0200z on Echolink - Conference *AMSAT* Also streaming MP3 at http://www.amsatnet.com
Podcast at http://www.amsatnet.com/podcast.xml or iTunes
[ANS thanks the Bruce, KK5DO for the above information]
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FUNcube-1 in full-time transponder mode
On December 23 FUNcube-1 / AO-73 was switched into full-time transponder mode with low-power beacon. It will remain in that mode for the next 5-7 days.
Enjoy the transponder.
With best wishes for the Festive Season, and for 2015
FUNcube Team
[ANS thanks the FUNcube team and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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NASA Cube Quest Challenge Summit Jan 7th & 8th
The NASA Centennial Challenges Program and NASA Ames Research Center are pleased to announce that the Cube Quest Challenge Summit will be held January 7-8, 2015 at the NASA Ames Conference Center.
NASA Ames Conference Center 500 Severyns Road Moffett Field, CA 94035 650.604.2082 http://naccenter.arc.nasa.gov/
This event will bring together NASA Centennial Challenges administrators, invited NASA technical experts and presenters, and the community of interested technical service providers and potential competitor team members for the purposes of:
* To introduce the Cube Quest operating conditions, rules and constraints * To encourage potential competitors to self-organize into teams * Foster dialog; raise understanding about this exciting competition and opportunities * Support the best possible competition
The event will be held: January 7, 2015 from 1 p.m to 5 p.m (Registration Desk opens at 12:00 noon) January 8, 2015 from 8 a.m to 12 p.m
See website for more information: http://www.nasa.gov/cubequestsummit/#.VJ7twP8oMw
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
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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).
* Sunday, 4 January 2015 – Ham Radio University in Bethpage NY (Briarcliffe College)
* Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Thunderbird Hamfest 2015 in Phoenix AZ (43rd Avenue, between Greenway and Bell Roads)
* Friday and Saturday, 16-17 January 2015 – Cowtown Hamfest in Forest Hill TX (south of Fort Worth)
* Saturday, 14 February 2015 – presentation for the Greater Los Angeles Mensa Regional Gathering 2015 in Los Angeles CA (Concourse Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport)
* Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ (Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue & Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
* Saturday, 7 March 2015 – Irving Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Irving TX (west of Dallas)
* Friday and Saturday, 13-14 March 2015 – Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK (northeast of Tulsa)
* Friday and Saturday, 20-21 March 2015 – Acadiana Hamfest in Rayne LA (west of Lafayette)
* Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Weatherford Hamfest in Weatherford TX (west of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex)
* Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix, near AZ-101/Princess Drive)
* Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ (22nd Street, east of Columbus Blvd.)
* Friday, 3 April 2015 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach in Signal Hill CA (Signal Hill Community Center)
* Saturday TBD in early May 2015 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ
* Saturday TBD in early June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
* Friday and Saturday, 12-13 June 2015 – HAM-COM in Irving TX (west of Dallas)
* Friday and Saturday, 7-8 August 2015 – Austin Summerfest in Austin TX
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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Russian ISS School Contacts
Both Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB and Michal Zawada SQ5KTM have released videos of ISS school contacts by cosmonaut Yelena Serov operating with the callsign RS0ISS which took place on Sunday, December 21, 2014.
The amateur radio station in the Russian Service Module was used and the Kenwood D710 operated on 145.800 MHz FM. The power setting used is not clear but may have been 25 watts. It is understood that ISS school contacts had been planned for Sunday with students at both Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk.
In his blog Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB said of the first Chelyabinsk contact: Radio session of the crew of the International Space Station with a children’s art school in Chelyabinsk. With great difficulty they contacted.
Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB Blog http://tinyurl.com/R4UAB-B
AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org/2014/12/21/russian-iss-school-contacts/
[ANS thanks ARISS and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between About Gagarin From Space, Amateur Session of The Parties Centre Extracurricular Activities Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk, Russia, direct via R8AM Contact was with RSØISS Contact was successful 2014-12-21 11:55 UTC (see above article)
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD Contact is presently scheduled to be with RSØISS Contact is postponed until 2015 January TBD UTC
Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD Contact is presently scheduled to be with RSØISS Contact is postponed until 2015 January TBD UTC
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
*Small CubeSat Provides Big Space Experience
Any way you slice it, space exploration -- done right -- requires an inordinate range of technical expertise. From designing the spacecraft, the mission proposal and the circuit boards to testing the flight software and putting together budgets, sending something, anything, into the cosmos depends on good people who know their job.
"Although significantly smaller in size, CubeSats contain analogous payloads and subsystems to larger satellites and require similar technical knowledge and resources to traditional flight projects," said Shannon Statham, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "The training and experience gained by working on CubeSats are directly applicable to larger missions."
Only three years after receiving her graduate degree in engineering, and having logged time in JPL's Environmental Test Lab, Statham was chosen to become the project manager for NASA's Radiometer Atmospheric CubeSat Experiment (RACE) mission. The position quickly provided the Georgia Institute of Technology grad all the hands-on experience she could have hoped for -- and more.
"The core team for RACE was comprised of 15 early career hires," said Statham. "We each had our designated role, but we all wore many hats and contributed to all aspects of taking the mission from proposal, to design, to testing, to launch delivery. With a very ambitious project schedule and budget, it's what we had to do to get the job done."
RACE was a CubeSat, a small satellite no bigger than a loaf of bread, designed to test components of an Earth-observing radiometer that would be used in future missions by larger, more expensive satellites. RACE was designed to "hitch a ride" aboard a rocket that was already tasked with lofting a spacecraft to the International Space Station. Once at the station, RACE would be set free to orbit Earth as its own satellite, measuring the liquid water path and water vapor that is pertinent to the water cycle and Earth's energy budget from 240 miles up.
"That is one of the beauties of CubeSats," said Statham. "They are small and compact, so placing them in the available nooks and crannies of a rocket already set to carry another payload into space can be quite cost-effective."
When compared to its larger satellite siblings, just about everything about CubeSats is diminutive. Even transporting them is low-key. While their bigger brethren usually require a specially- equipped, air-cushioned tractor trailer or perhaps a military cargo plane, RACE made its way from the lab into the world via an attache- sized box that Statham herself placed in the overhead compartment above her airliner seat.
The RACE team had hoped to show their instrument's performance could rival that of traditional big satellites, resulting in potential cost savings down the line. On the evening of October 28, 2014, Statham and several other RACE early career hires watched as an Antares rocket carrying their satellite lifted off from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Moments into the flight, one of the rocket's main engines failed, sending its space station-destined payload (including RACE) to a fiery end.
"The launch failure was a disappointment, but I think all of us know that's a risk you take," said Statham. "We saw all our hard work effectively go up in flames. But I think everyone on the team is taking this as a very positive experience in general, and we're all moving on to new and exciting endeavors at JPL."
Statham is sticking with CubeSats for the time being. She is working on a JPL concept to fly a space-based radar called "RaInCube." Others on her team have gone on to other CubeSat projects, while still others are working on more traditional space missions or in one of the research labs at JPL.
And what of RACE itself? At the time of this writing, the 13.4-inch- long (34-centimeter) spacecraft has not been recovered. But the technology that Statham and her colleagues pushed from concept, to test bed, to launch pad, lives on. The lessons learned developing the radiometer, the instrument that was the heart of the RACE mission, are being applied to a new CubeSat proposal called Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems - Demonstrator (TEMPEST-D).
The next JPL CubeSat is scheduled to fly on January 29 of next year. Called GEO-CAPE ROIC In-Flight Performance Experiment (GRIFEX), the CubeSat will hitch a ride aboard the Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. GRIFEX is a flight test of advanced technology required for future Earth observers measuring atmospheric composition from geostationary Earth orbit.
JPL has other CubeSat projects in development as well, including missions to the moon, Mars and near-Earth asteroids. JPL recently selected proposals from 10 universities to analyze CubeSat concepts that could enhance a proposed Europa Clipper mission. The concepts will be incorporated into a JPL study on how small probes could be carried as auxiliary payloads.
"These tiny spacecraft are great platforms for increasing the technology readiness of new technologies to buy down risk for larger missions in a relatively short time frame and minimal budget. They can also provide resources to larger missions with minimal impacts to cost and mass," said Statham. "The future looks bright for CubeSats."
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Small_CubeSat_Provides_Big_Space_ Experience_999.html
[ANS thanks Spacedaily.com for the above information]
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/EX
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73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org
participants (6)
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Jim Sanford -
Joe Fitzgerald -
Joseph Spier -
Lizeth Norman -
Rich/wa4bue -
Steve May