Amsat-dc (INACTIVE)

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amsat-dc@amsat.org

December 2012

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FW: Suborbital Flight Opportunities for Small Spacecraft Technologies
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

FYI From: Yost, Bruce D (ARC-R)[IPA-ARC] Sent: Monday, December 10, 2012 7:39 PM Subject: Suborbital Flight Opportunities for Small Spacecraft Technologies Subject: Suborbital Flight Opportunities for Small Spacecraft Technologies To: Small Spacecraft Technologists: This note is to bring your attention to an open solicitation from NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. They are extending the proposal submission deadline to January 17, 2013 for the next selection of projects to fly on parabolic aircraft flights, high altitude balloon flights, and suborbital flights (AFO #6). The parabolic aircraft flights provide 25-second periods of microgravity that are repeated up to 40 times on each flight. During those periods of microgravity, subsystems or entire small spacecraft can be tested inside the aircraft cabin. Likewise, high-altitude balloon and suborbital flights can expose test units to an external environment approaching the conditions of space. Proposals will be selected based on their merit, as described in the solicitation, and although no funding is provided for project or payload development, the flight opportunity is provided at no cost to the research team. This could be an excellent opportunity for small spacecraft technology teams with relatively mature hardware to validate their systems in near-space conditions. It could also provide an opportunity to test new innovations in spacecraft design. We encourage you to consider this opportunity. For more information please see: https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/afo The article at the link below includes some examples of recent parabolic flight-testing that involved small spacecraft technology. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/zero-g-flight-honors-armstrong.… Small Spacecraft Technology Program

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AMSAT-DC Spring Workshop 2013 Proposed
by Kilroy, Patrick L. (GSFC-5680) 06 Dec '12

06 Dec '12

I WISH TO PROPOSE the AMSAT-DC Spring Workshop 2013, to take place on Saturday, March 23, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. It will be a nearly all-day event. "Workshop on Portable Satellite Ground Stations" ... is the title, where attendees will learn about and develop their own portable ground station and show off their wares which will feature one or more of the following: 1. One's own laptop computer, with appropriate software installed, such as for satellite tracking, SDR receiver control, antenna control (optional), audio recording and any other apps, for example. 2. The FUNcube Dongle Pro receiver or equivalent, emphasizing *receiving* and not including the transmit side at this particular time. See the links below for ideas about software, receivers and antennas. 3. Antennas for 146 MHz and 436 MHz with a mounting means, such as on a camera tripod, small mast, homebrew PVC, or other portable creation. Your antennas can be either the Arrow, Elk or equivalent, or homebrew. Polarization linear or circular. Antenna Az-El movement can be by hand or controller (manual activating or automated, fully or partially). Everything, or almost everything, ought to be designed to run from a 12-volt source of your choosing. Additional details will be determined by a small humble steering committee that YOU can influence early on. And speaking of that, . . . May I include you, among others, on my steering committee? If not, that's okay, but I need to know if you'd like to participate. Can you bring in some gear to assemble and to show off to others attending? Perhaps we could meet in person, telecon by phone, or by EchoLink conferencing soon as a group to further outline this event? Foremost, if needed, an alternate date can be selected, from either March 9 or 16, or moved into April on a Saturday AFTER the Greater Baltimore Hamboree and Computerfest of April 6, as long as we decide in the next week or two. Are you in?? Can you help organize? Or attend? What might you bring? Thoughts? Thanks, Pat Kilroy N8PK amsat area coordinator Links for antenna ideas: http://arrowantennas.com/ http://www.elkantennas.com/ http://www.g6lvb.com/homebrewarrow.htm http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/crow/index.php http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/Az_El_Pos.pdf http://www.wa5vjb.com/references/Cheap%20Antennas-LEOs.pdf http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/downloads/iROTOR.pdf http://www.arrl.org/shop/The-ARRL-Satellite-Handbook/ http://ac6v.com/antprojects.htm Links for software ideas: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/software.php http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/ http://www.moetronix.com/spectravue.htm http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/resguide.pdf http://sdrsharp.com/ Links for receiver ideas: http://www.funcubedongle.com/ http://www.amsat.org/amsat/intro/sats_faq.html http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/SpectravueConfigurationForFCD.pdf http://sdrsharp.com/ "People don't care about how much we know, until they know how much we care." - Jack Vieira Outreach: http://simsat.net/

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