AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-030
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a
worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in
designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital
Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* ARISSat-1 Arrives at the International Space Station
* AMSAT-UK FUNcube System Accepted for UK Space Agency UKube1 Payload
* 1000 Days in Orbit for Ham Radio Satellite Delfi-C3
* ND9M/VQ9JC Maritime Mobile Satellite Operations Planned
* Catch a Visual Glimpse of NanoSail-D in Orbit
* Echoes of Apollo Call for Student Investigators & Adult Engineering Mentors
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 24 January 2011
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.01
ARISSat-1 Arrives at the International Space Station
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.01
On January 28 at 0132 UTC,a Soyuz rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan
carrying the
Russian Progress M-09M cargo vehicle to orbit headed for the
International Space
Station (ISS).
While the primary cargo of the Progress vehicle is fuel, oxygen, food and other
supplies, the Progress also contains AMSAT's ARISSat-1 Amateur Radio satellite.
Progress docked with the space station just two days after launch, on
January 30
at 0239 UTC.
Currently ARISSat-1 is planned to be manually deployed from the ISS by Russian
cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka during a spacewalk on February
16. ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf V will have simultaneous 2m FM, CW, BPSK and
transponder
transmissions. These multiple transmissions are created by a new software
defined transponder (SDX) board. Features provided by the SDX include:
* The FM transmissions with cycle between a voice ID, select telemetry
values, 24 international greeting messages in 15 languages and live SSTV
images.
* The CW transmissions will be callsign ID, select telemetry,
and callsigns
of people actively involved with the ARISS program.
* The BPSK transmissions will feature a new 1kBPSK protocol developed by
Phil Karn, KA9Q to be readable in low signal level conditions. The BPSK
data will alternate betwen telemetry and Kursk experiment data. Free
ground station soundcard demodulator and display software will be
available before deployment for multiple platforms.
* There also is a 16kHz wide amateur radio U/V transponder
between the BPSK
and FM signals.
* The Kursk experiment will be sampling the amount of vacuum
each day for 90
minutes and sending down data to map the vacuum change as the satellite
slowly spirals into the atmosphere.
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.02
AMSAT-UK FUNcube System Accepted for UK Space Agency UKube1 Payload
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.02
Graham, G3VZV announced on behalf of AMSAT-UK this week that the
FUNcube system has now been formally accepted as a participant in
the UK Space Agency Announcement of Opportunity for payload pro-
viders for its pilot CubeSat mission, UKube1.
Seven finalist payloads are currently under consideration with the
final three or four flight payloads to be announced in March, 2011.
This includes the AMSAT-UK FunCube telemetry system for science
education, which will be integrated with the spacecraft as part of
the program.
Graham explained, "While the UK Space Agency release does not mention
the FUNcube linear U/V transponder function during evenings and week-
ends, this functionality will be included in the same way that it is
planned for the actual FUNcube-1 cubesat itself. The FUNcube develop-
ment team is looking forward to the extra challenge of producing two
sets of everything in the very short time scales required by both pro-
jects!"
[ANS thanks Graham, G3VZV for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.03
1000 Days in Orbit for Ham Radio Satellite Delfi-C3
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.03
Sunday, January 23 saw the 1000th day in orbit for the Amateur Radio
satellite Delfi-C3, which was the first 3U CubeSat to carry a linear
transponder.
Wouter, PA3WEG wrote, "The downlink is still OK and telemetry shows
no big degradations. This means Delfi-C3 is still in good health.
Apart from the problems with the transponder and some occasional resets
and lockups, scientific data is still being received. Also, this data
is still forwarded by radio amateurs to our server. Once again our
big thanks for receiving Delfi-C3 and your continued support of the
project."
Visit the Delfi-C3 web page at: http://www.delfic3.nl/ The radio
amateur section at: http://tinyurl.com/6f362zu has the information
you need to receive the satellite. There is also a link to the Rascal
Software if you would like to have your amateur radio station become
a part of the global Delfi-C3 monitoring network.
[ANS thanks Wouter Weggelaar, PA3WEG and his Delfi-C3 team and the
SouthGateARC site for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.04
ND9M/VQ9JC Maritime Mobile Satellite Operations Planned
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.04
Jim, ND9M/VQ9JC plans to operate the amateur radio satellites from
his merchant marine ship presently enroute from Diego Garcia (grid
MI62) to Charleston, SC (FM03) via the Pacific Ocean. Jim says he
has an FT897D and an FT817ND with an Arrow-2 antenna. He plans to
be active from quite a few wet grids along the way. His ocean route
will take him through grid fields include MI, NI, OI, OJ, PJ, PK, QK
(24 hours at Guam), QL, RL, RM, AM, BM, CM. and DM.
Jim's job is seven days a week for four months straight and he will
not generally be available during the normal daytime working hours
so operating opportunities during these times cannot be predicted.
The majority of passes he can be on will be in the late afternoon
and early evening, so AO51, FO29, and AO7 Mode B will be the focus.
Early morning AO7 passes will occasionally be available. Operating
during late evening passes will be likely once the ship crosses the
International Date line and enters the eastern Pacific. Jim's port-
able satellite station will be setup on the ship's helicopter deck.
The ship will be off the coast of southern California by the end of
February and should be there for about 10 days before resuming the
voyage towards Charleston via the Panama Canal, then northward around
Cuba towards Jacksonville (EM90) for another stop at the end of March.
The voyage will finish in April in Charleston, SC.
Jim says he has applied for an IARP permit for Panama so that, barring
unforeseen regulations, he will be able to operate whatever passes
occur as the ship transits the Canal.
E-mail contact for Jim is via james.t.clary.civ(at)msc.navy.mil. He
plans to post regular updates on his trip's progress to the AMSAT-BB.
[ANS thanks Jim ND9M/VQ9JC for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.05
Catch a Visual Glimpse of NanoSail-D in Orbit
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.05
In a posting on http://www.nanosail.org/Spaceweather.com and NASA
announce they are joining forces to encourage photography of Nano-
Sail-D, the first solar sail to circle Earth in low orbit.
Amateur and professional astronomers and even casual sky watchers
can participate. The solar sail will occasionally be visible to the
naked eye when sunlight glints off the spacecraft's 10 m2 sail, pro-
ducing a spectacular flash akin to an Iridium Flare. UniverseToday
predicts NanoSail-D could be five to 10 times as bright as the planet
Venus, especially later in the mission when the sail descends to
lower orbits.
Even novice photographers can capture such a bright event. Advanced
astrophotographers, meanwhile, will want to try to image the sail
through backyard telescopes. It will be a challenge (the sail is
only 1 arc second across), but even fuzzy pictures could help NASA
monitor the condition of the spacecraft. Cash prizes will be awarded
to the first ($500), second ($200), and third ($100) place photos,
judged by a NASA-appointed panel on the basis of beauty and technical
merit.
The contest begins now and ends when NanoSail-D reenters the atmo-
sphere in April or May 2011.
These sites provide viewing predictions:
http://spaceweather.com/flybys/http://www.heavens-above.com
NASA's Science News web site has additional NanoSail-D news and
a link to audio from the satellite recorded by Henk, PA3GUO:
http://tinyurl.com/4s7nj4r (nasa.gov)
[ANS thanks SpaceWeather.com and UniverseToday.com for the above
information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.06
Echoes of Apollo Call for Student Investigators & Adult Engineering Mentors
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.06
Pat Barthelow, AA6EG of the Echoes of Apollo Project (the folks who
brought us the 70cm Arecibo EME activity) is working with kids on the
Google Science Fair. The students and adult mentors have devised a
simple experiment to measure the distance to the moon using Moon
Bounce.
Pat has several EME stations committed and is looking for more tech-
nical support. He is also looking for additional young Co-Primary
Investigators (Age 13-18) to participate.
Time is of the essence. Reply directly to: apolloeme(a)gmail.com
Pat says the students will develop the experiment, lead, analyze.
Adults are needed to nurture, guide, mentor with these goals in mind:
+ Key a CW transmission or alternatively, send an audio impulse via
microphone to EME TX.
+ Starting the time clock on the impulse transmission whether Audio
"Clack" or CW key.
+ Recording for Science Fair presentation, using Multimedia video/audio
eqiupment in the Moon bounce Station.
+ Stopping the clock when the audio/RF does RT to moon (~2.5 Seconds)
and returns, and is demodulated by Moon bounce RX and presented at
Audio speaker terminals.
+ Pre-measure station delays in TX and RX to develop a constant for
internal equipment delays.
+ Measuring the EME interval as closely as possible, with simple
equipment, say, to milliseconds. Probably take the Multimedia video/
audio to a Video editor, to measure delay, digitally.
+ Compare distance to the moon in the NASA, or US Naval Observatory
databases for their actual distance to moon, at the moment of the
experiment.
+ Student analyzes for errors, error sources, discusses return signal
distortion, due to doppler, Libration, pulse stretching, due to
spherical moon, etc.
+ Student suggests follow up experiment, to minimize measurement
errors, or assuming more sophisticated equipment became available.
QUESTION: For an analog RX to audio output, what would be the best
way be to measure the internal propagation delay in an [Analog, Digi-
tal] receiver, from the time of arrival of the RF at the Antenna con-
nector to demodulated output [Analog, Digital] at the speaker, or
computer screen.
For analog receivers, is the internal RX propagation delay, in order
of: microseconds? Milliseconds? For Digital receivers?
Best Regards,
Pat Barthelow, Echoes of Apollo
apolloeme(a)gmail.com
[ANS thanks Pat Barthelow, AA6EG of the Echoes of Apollo Project
for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.07
Satellite Shorts From All Over
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.07
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.07
+ Clint, K6LCS has posted his AMSAT and amateur satellite handouts
he plans to use at the Palm Springs HamFest. One is an "Intro to
AMSAT" newsletter with membership form, the other an ARISSat-1 Update
and Band Plan. Both are posted at: http://tinyurl.com/ps-handouts
Clint invites you to use or adapt either for your projects and pre-
sentations.
+ Two videos of Japan's H-IIB rocket launch with the Kounotori 2 cargo
resupply transporter January 22 from Tanegashima Space Center in
southern Japan can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/64zuajp
Kounotori2, or 'White Stork' in Japanese, is loaded with crucial sup-
plies destined for the International Space Station (ISS). Video and
photos of the arrival and capture of the Kounotori2 can be seen at:
http://tinyurl.com/4vop4rt
+ A new video gives the latest news on the Euroluna 2U CubeSat project
with the Amateur Radio callsign OZ9LUNA. It describes the 2U cubesat,
work on the software and the attitude control, and work ongoing on
the ion motor. Watch on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/4cnfahv
+ An interesting science blog posting about the special relativity
you would encounter while traveling at the speed of light is
posted at: http://tinyurl.com/5sj7q2p (UniverseToday.com) This
may present a way to change the subject to something scientific
if the subject on 75 meters LSB QSO gets stuck on the state of
the other fellow's gallbladder.
+ The folks from the HiRISE Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
have put together a video of the latest images from the Red Planet:
http://tinyurl.com/6hc7edb. The Mars Express spacecraft took a ser-
ies of detailed images of the Martian moon Phobos. These images have
been morphed into a seamless flyby movie which can be viewed on-line
at: http://tinyurl.com/4srutec
+ The next Hudson Valley Satcom Net will meet on Thursday, February 3
at 8PM EST (UTC-5) on the Mt.Beacon ARC 146.970 MHz repeater (-600 &
Pl 100). You can also join via Echolink on the N2EYH-L node. All hams
are welcome! More info at htp://www.hvsatcom.org/ (Stu, WA2BSS)
[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-030.08
ARISS Status - 24 January 2011
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 030.08
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 30, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-030.08
1. Two Italian Schools Experience ARISS Contact
On Tuesday, January 18, two Italian schools, "Istituto Comprensivo Ladispoli"
and Middle School "Corrado Melone", located in Ladispoli, Rome, Italy
participated in a joint Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS)
contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA. Twenty-eight space-related questions were
answered and greetings exchanged over two ISS passes. ARISS mentor Francesco De
Paolis, IK0WGF introduced the event and presented the ARISS program to an
audience of 250 students, teachers and visitors. National Television (RAI NEWS
24 hours), local media and newspapers covered the event. The contact was the
highlight of a curriculum covering space, geography and telecommunications.
2. Expedition 24 Crew Debrief Session
An ARISS debrief session was held with Expedition 24 crewmembers Doug Wheelock,
KF5BOC and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB on Tuesday, January 18. The feedback they
provided on the ISS Ham radio equipment and school contacts will aid the ARISS
team in updating its program procedures.
3. ARISS International Meeting Held
The monthly ARISS International Team meeting was held on Tuesday, January 18.
Topics of discussion included the upcoming face to face meeting and a status on
the Columbus module equipment as well as ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted.
See: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-01-18.htm
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's
Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project
Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are
available from the AMSAT Office.
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-028.01
ANS Special Bulletin - NASA TV to Show Arrival of Progress Spacecraft at ISS
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 028.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 28, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-028.01
The arrival of the Russian Progress-41 flight carrying the ARISSat-1
Amateur Radio Experiment to the International Space Station will be
televised live via NASA TV starting at 8PM CST (UTC-6) on Saturday,
January 29.
The unpiloted flight of the Progress resupply craft is expected to
automatically berth to the Pirs docking compartment at 8:40 p.m. CST.
Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineers Cady Coleman,
Paolo Nespoli, Alexander Kaleri, Oleg Skripochka and Dmitry Kondratyev
will be standing by during the automated docking manuevers.
In addition to ARISSat-1, the cargo ship is carrying three tons of
supplies for the crew members.
ARISSat engineers will be meeting with Russian EVA specialists in
Houston on Tuesday, February 1 to prepare for the February 16 deploy-
ment of the satellite.
For more information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Check the AMSAT Web Page http://www.amsat.org for the latest ARISSat-1
information, a copy of the Symposium Slides, and a color guide showing
the transponder bandplan.
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
/EX
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-016
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT
North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS
reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur
Radio operators who share an active interest in designing,
building, launching and communicating through analog and
digital Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* Satellite Protocol
* ARISSat-1 Update
* SKN Reminder
* SA Request for Assistance
* ARISS Report
* Satellite Shorts
* AMSAT China Report on HO-68 Health
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.01
Satellite Protocol
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.01
Recently, there has been comments on activity on the LEO satellites.
With newcomers added to the mixture everyday, it is a good idea to re-read a
Guideline from many years ago.
http://www.innismir.net/article/26
Enjoy and use as a reminder of our resposibilities.
[ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.02
ARISSat-1 Update
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.02
ARISSat-1 Update
The ARISSat-1 satellite/amateur radio experiment is in Baikonur.
RSC Energia has information and photographs about the satellite
on their news site http://www.energia.ru/en/news/news-2010/news_12-31.html .
The NASA Phase 3 Safety Review for ARISSat is scheduled for Thursday 20
January 2011. The Progress 41P launch carrying ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V is
scheduled for late January and the release of the satellite is scheduled
for the end of February 2011. Energia is also calling the satellite KEDR,
after Yuri Gagarin's callsign in celebration of the 50th anniversary of
the first manned space flight 12 April 1961. Sergey Samburov, RV3DR is
shown in the photos with the satellite on the RSC Energia site.
Gould
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.03
SKN reminder
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.03
Ray, W2RS thanks all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night
on OSCAR 2011 and reminds us to please nominate
someone you worked for 'Best Fist.' Your nominee need not have the best
fist of those you heard, just of those you worked.
Nominations should be sent to w2rs(a)amsat.org. A list of those
nominated will be published in ANS in early February,
and in a forthcoming issue of The AMSAT Journal.
[ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.04
SA Request for Assistance
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.04
SA AMSAT Cubesat project needs programmers
The development team for the planned South African CubeSat project
is taking shape nicely.
Radio amateurs with diverse specialist skills are offering their
expertise from all over. "However, we still need a person with
experience in programming PIC or 8051 microprocessors," Hannes
Coetzee, ZS6BZP, told SARL News.
"This person will be a critical member of the team and will be
responsible for the development of the onboard controller soft-
ware. Other amateurs who are interested in the development of
the satellite and would like to join the development team are
still welcome to send their Amateur Radio CVs to:
saamsat(a)intekom.co.za," Hannes said.
The team will meet for its first formal teleconference on Wed-
nesday evening 26 January 2011 at 20:00. Team members will re-
ceive a formal notification.
[ANS thanks SARL, SA AMSAT, and SouthGateARC site for the
above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.05
ARISS Report
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.05
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
Status Report January 10, 2011
1. Upcoming School Contacts
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact
scheduled for Tsutsujigaoka Minami Elementary School in
Akishima, Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday, January 12 was completed. Students
participating in the contact are learning about space science and the
global cooperation required to operate the ISS.
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has
scheduled for Istituto Comprensivo Marco Polo-Viani Scuola
Secondaria 1° Grado, Viareggio, Lucca, Italy on Wednesday, January 12
Has been completed. Through this contact, the school hoped to increase
students' interest in science, technology, space research and other
space-related subject matter.
Istituto Comprensivo Via Toscana 2 in Civitavecchia, Italy has
been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, January 15 has also been successful.
The school, with an enrollment of 750 children, ages 3-14, had
prepared questions about life in space and the research performed
on the ISS.
2. Italian Students Chat with Astronaut through ARISS Contact
On Saturday, January 8, University of Bari "Cittadella Mediterranea
della Scienza" in Bari, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact with ESA astronaut Paolo
Nespoli, IZ0JPA. Prior to the contact, ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis,
IK0WGF introduced the event via phone line. Nespoli made the radio link
with the students, answering 14 of their questions. A second contact was
established on the following ISS pass to finish up the questions and
exchange greetings. Approximately 100 students, teachers, visitors and
media attended. Regional television, local media and newspapers
covered the event and video was streamed over the internet, receiving
more than 100 connections. Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza
promotes technology and scientific knowledge in schools of all grades
using projects that encourage academic research.
3. Astronaut Training Status
Astronaut Chris Cassidy was given an introductory session on ARISS this
past week. He will train for his amateur radio license and plans to
participate in the ARISS program. He is currently scheduled to fly in
the spring of 2013.
4. ARRISat Featured in February QST
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a story in its January
6 ARRL Letter about the February issue of QST which features
ARISSat-1 on its front cover. The ARRL monthly journal has a
circulation of 156,000. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-01-06
5. AMSAT Posts ARISSat-1 Update to Web Site
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted an update
on its Web page covering the current status of ARISSat-1.
"ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Integration and Testing Underway in
Moscow," may be viewed here:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
6. AMSAT Articles on ARISS News
On January 9, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation)
News Service bulletin (ANS-009) included two ARISS-related news
items. "ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Update" and "ARISS School Contacts
Resume for 2011" may be found at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/48hour/msg83129.html
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.06
Satellite Shorts
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.06
NASA Redoubling Efforts to Contact Spirit Rover on Mars
A news item carried on UniverseToday.com (http://tinyurl.com/2ccsnku)
reports that NASA is stepping up operational efforts to contact the
Martian Spirit rover with more communications commands; more listening
time; more frequencies. Spirit last communicated with mission control-
lers back on Earth on March 22, 2010. The rover entered hibernation
mode, some nine months ago, as the available sunlight to power the
life giving solar panels was diminishing. NASA hopes to reawaken Spirit
from a long slumber and reignite her breakthrough campaign of explora-
tion and discovery from a scientific goldmine on the surface of the red
planet.
At Spirit's location in the southern hemisphere of Mars, Southern
Summer has not yet arrived. Right now it's mid Southern Spring and
daylight hours are increasing. And Summer doesn't even start until
mid-March 2011. The question is whether Spirit's unheated electronics
components have endured the extremely harsh and frigidly cold condi-
tions of her 4th winter on Mars - her coldest ever. At about -100 C.
Spirit entered a low-power fault mode in March 2010 with minimal activ-
ity except charging and heating the batteries and keeping its clock run-
ning. With most heaters shut off, Spirit's internal temperatures dipped
lower than ever before on Mars. That stress could have caused damage, s
uch as impaired electrical connections, that would prevent reawakening
or, even if Spirit returns to operation, would reduce its capabilities.
"Components within the rover electronic module (REM) inside the rover's
warm electronic box (WEB) are experiencing record low temperatures,"
said Doug McCuistion, the director of Mars Exploration at NASA Head-
quarters in Washington, DC, in an interview about Spirit's predicament.
"The expectation is for the REM hardware to reach -55C at the coldest
part of the winter. We have tested the REM down to -55C".
NASA's Deep Space Network of antennas in California, Spain and Australia
has been listening for Spirit daily in coordination with the spacecraft
orbiting Mars; Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In X-band,
the DSN listens for Spirit during one pass each day. The rover team has
also been sending commands to elicit a response from the rover even if
the rover has lost track of time.
Now, the monitoring is being increased. Additional listening periods in-
clude times when Spirit might mistake a signal from NASA's Mars Recon-
naissance Orbiter as a signal from Earth and respond to such a signal.
Commands for a beep from Spirit will be sent at additional times to
cover a wider range of times-of-day on Mars when Spirit might awaken.
"DSN does an average of 4 "sweep & beep" commands in each day's pass,"
according to JPL spokesman Guy Webster. Also, NASA is listening on a
wider range of frequencies to cover more possibilities of temperature
effects on Spirit's radio systems.
[ANS thanks UniverseToday.com for the above information]
Hello Everyone,
This is to let you know that AMSAT has updated the Main/Top
news item at http://www.amsat.org to:
ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Integration and Testing Underway in Moscow
[ANS thanks Joanne, K9JKM, for the above information]
Hi all (Happpy 2011!)
The next "HV Satcom" Net is Thursday January 20 at 8PM (UTC -5);
(Host) Mt. Beacon ARC) on the 146.970MHz. Repeater (-600;Pl;100)
with an Echolink Node of "N2EYH-L"
("HV Satcom"net): www.hvsatcom.org/
E-Mail: wa2aqh(a)amsat.org ("HV Satcom"Net)
[ANS thanks Stu, WA2BSS, For above information.]
January SatMagazine Covers CubeSats
Amateur Radio satellites NanoSail-D and O/OREOS get a mention in the
January edition of SatMagazine, now available for free download.
NanoSail-D and O/OREOS feature on pages 61/62.
Pages 14-18 have a article by Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd.
(SSTL) project lead Shaun Kenyon on the recent increase in interest
in NanoSats and pages 20-22 cover "The Power Of Picosatellites".
The US military are making use of NanoSats and the recently launched
US Army satellite SMDC-ONE, a 3U CubeSat, is covered on page 60.
Download a copy of the January SatMagazine from
http://www.satmagazine.com/2011/SM_January_2011.pdf
Free subscription to SatMagazine and SatNews
http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/regester.cgi
SatMagazine
http://www.satmagazine.com/
[ANS thanks the SouthGateARC Site for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.07
AMSAT China Report on HO-68 Health
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 016.07
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 16, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-016.07
AMSAT China Report on HO-68 Health
HO-68 (XW-1) Project Manager, Alan Kung, BA1DU sent an update on the
satellite's operational status. Alan wrote, "This week I received
many reports from all over the world about faults of HO-68's tele-
metry beacon."
Alan continues, "After we analyzed the situation of the satellite, we
think that the software in the payload management MPU was not running
properly. Software crashes stopped communication between the payload
management MPU and the satellite management unit. This caused the prob-
lem with the beacon and caused an abnormal switch of the transponder
mode."
On January 14 AMSAT China controllers switched the satellite into safe
mode at 0300Z. They turned off most of the onboard units, and then at
0440Z re-powered up. The satellite returned to normal operating mode
and so far the beacon has continued to operate normally.
AMSAT China said they will not upload commands to the satellite to
change the transponder operating schedule for the next week. The com-
mand team will continually monitor HO-68 operational status this week.
Please send Alan a report if you observe any abnormal operation of HO-68.
Alan can be reached at: alankung(a)public3.bta.net.cn
AMSAT China web page: http://www.camsat.cn
[ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU for the above information]
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in
the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as
sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible
to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available
from the AMSAT Office.
73,
This week's ANS Editor
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
Nb2f at amsat dot org
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-009
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a
worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in
designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital
Amateur Radio satellites.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor(a)amsat.org
In this edition:
* OSCAR SKN Best Fist Nominations Are Due
* AO-51 Power Management Update
* SO-67 Repeater to Resume Operations
* ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Update
* Satellite Meeting in South Africa
* OSCAR-11 REPORT 31 December 2010
* Satellite Presentation at Murray State University, KY
* ARISS School Contacts Resume for 2011
* AMSAT-UK's John Heaton, G1YYH Silent Key
* Vietnam CubeSat to Launch in 2011
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.01
OSCAR SKN Best Fist Nominations Are Due
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.01
Ray, W2RS thanks all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night
on OSCAR 2011. Please remember to nominate someone you worked for
'Best Fist.' Your nominee need not have the best fist of those you
heard, just of those you worked. Nominations should be sent to
w2rs(a)amsat.org. A list of those nominated will be published in ANS
in early February, and in a forthcoming issue of The AMSAT Journal.
[ANS thanks Ray, W2RS, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.02
AO-51 Power Management Update
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.02
Mark Hammond, N8MH notes that AO-51's power management feature has
been operational now that this satellite is entering eclipses and
its batteries cannot maintain full power when the solar panels are
not being illuminated.
Mark noted, "The good news is that eclipses are pretty short right
now and are occurring at early local time in the Northern Hemisphere.
So many aren't even awake yet. Looking longer term--by early March 2011
we will have a period of full sun again, that lasts a couple of months.
Then we are back into eclipses for a long, long--and we'll have ecli-
pses that will get up to 30 minutes in length! If that's over your QTH,
that means you can't work AO-51 potentially for a whole pass. Final
operating details remain to be determined to see exactly what the orbit
and eclipses will look like at that time."
Mark has posted a file at: http://tinyurl.com/2358a3x (amsat.org)
captured during the January 4 solar eclipse. You can see the normal
eclipses of AO-51 every 100 mins (just over 14 times each day). Now,
look right in the middle--see what is a double dip? That a normal
eclipse AND an extra one from the partial solar eclipse.
The AO-51 Command Team requests that users continue to post their
observations of AO-51's operating condition on the Live OSCAR Satel-
lite Status Page: http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php.
Keep up to date with the latest Command Team and Operations Group
AO-51 News at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/CTNews.php
[ANS thanks Mark, N8MH, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.03
SO-67 Repeater to Resume Operations
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.03
With the troublesome controller reprogrammed it is hoped that Sumbandila will
resume its repeater schedule next week.
Four passes over South Africa during the evening of 8 January will be scheduled
as a test. Please report your observations at David Carr's live OSCAR status
page: http://oscar.dcarr.org/
The weekly schedule will be published at http://amsatsa.org.za/ once
full operations resume.
[ANS thanks Johann, ZR1CBC, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.04
ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Update
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.04
The ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V team has faced a number of challenges since the
two amateur radio experiments were crated and shipped to NASA Johnson Center
in early October.
However, Gould Smith, AMSAT's ARISSat-1 project manager recently told ANS
that, "We are very pleased to report that the flight unit and backup arrived
in Moscow on December 8th, 2010 and were delivered to RSC-Energia in Moscow
on December 29th, 2010. We now understand that the Russian team is working
on testing and integrating the Kursk Experiment and Silver-Zinc battery into
the flight unit during their Russian Orthodox Christmas holidays."
Gould went on to note that the flight unit is still scheduled to fly to the
Baikonur Cosmodrome on January 11th, 2011 where it will be attached to
Progress vehicle 41P. The Progress vehicle is scheduled to launch up to the
ISS at the end of January.
Once ARISSat-1 is on board the ISS, crew members will re-attach the handles,
install the battery, replace the dummy loads with the real antennas and
perform a quick power-on test. The Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) to deploy
the satellite is still scheduled for the end of February 2011.
Needless to say, the ARISSat-1 team is excited about all the effort being
made by RSC-Energia to complete integration, and remains cautiously
optimistic that all will continue to go according to schedule.
[ANS thanks Gould, WA4SXM, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.05
Satellite Meeting in South Africa
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.05
Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNS, will be anchoring a meeting on satellites
on Saturday 15 January beginning at 10AM at South Africa's National
Amateur Radio Centre.
Learn more about operating amateur radio satellites, how to build
a simple satellite antenna, how to track and all the ins and outs
of this fascinating part of Amateur Radio.
Find out how you can get involved in the SA AMSAT CubeSat project.
The NARC is situated at Sender Technology Park, Octave Road, Radiokop,
Roodepoort.
[ANS thanks the SouthGateARC News Site for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.06
OSCAR-11 REPORT 31 December 2010
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.06
At the present time OSCAR-11 (AKA UO-11 or UoSAT-2) is now in a
very stable and predictable mode of operation. Between the period
of November 30 to December 31, 2010 the satellite has been heard
from December 10-20 and again is on since December 31. It is ex-
pected to switch-off on January 10, 2011 under control of its inter-
nal timer.
Excellent signals have been reported from stations located around
the world, and good copy obtained from decoded telemetry frames.
The satellite is now transmitting during eclipses, although signals
are weaker at those times. This indicates that there is still some
capacity remaining in the battery.
The on-board clock is now very stable. It gained seven seconds
during December.
The VHF beacon frequency is 145.826 MHz. AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry
Reception reports have been received from Horatio CX8AF, John
KB2HSH, Francisco PY9FP and Mike DK3WN. Many thanks for those
and to everyone who posted reports on the satellite status
website.
If you hear UO-11 please post the information on the Live OSCAR
Satellite Status Page: http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php. Reports
around the expected times of switch-on and switch-off are of
special interest.
At the present time, while OSCAR-11 is operating in a predictable
way Clive, G3CWV no longer needs direct reports or files by e-mail.
Visit Clive's UO-11 web page http://www.g3cwv.co.uk/oscar11.htm
for links to a full UO-11 status report, a short audio clip to help
you identify the satellite and a file of the last telemetry received.
The website also contains an archive of news & telemetry data which
is updated from time to time, and details about using a sound card or
hardware demodulators for data capture. There is also software for
capturing data, and decoding ASCII telemetry.
[ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.07
Satellite Presentation at Murray State University, KY
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.07
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.07
AMSAT area coordinator Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting his
"Working Amateur Satellites With Your HT" session at the February 1,
2011 meeting of the Murray State University Amateur Radio Club. ALL
are welcome to attend.
"MSUARC has been serving their region for fifty years," writes Clint.
"I am really looking forward to meeting the group!"
(Wait a sec - isn't Clint in California? What is he doing in
Kentucky? Too many frequent flier miles?)
Clint's out in Southern California - but has prepared a custom slide show
for MSUARC, which will be displayed as Skype handles the session's
audio. "I'd much rather be there in person - but this arrangement has
worked quite successfully in the past. We'll have a great time!"
Clint has full information on his web page:
http://www.work-sat.com
[ANS thanks Clint, K6LCS, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.08
ARISS School Contacts Resume for 2011
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.08
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.08
ARISS Operations Team Mentor Charlie Sufana, AJ9N noted that the
school contact schedule is being resumed following the recent crew
change on board the International Space Station. The Expedition 26
crew current on orbit includes Dmitry Kondratyev, Catherine G.
Coleman, KC5ZTH and Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA.
The first school contact occurred on Saturday, January 8 with the Uni-
versità degli studi di Bari "Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza",
Bari, Ba, Italy, direct via IZ7EVR.
Additional school contacts continue with this planned schedule:
Wednesday January 12 08:08:20 UTC
Tsutsujigaoka Minami Elementary School in Akishima City (Tokyo),
Japan, direct via 8J1TME
Wednesday January 12 10:54:52 UTC
Istituto Comprensivo Marco Polo-Viani Scuola Secondaria 1° Grado,
Viareggio, Lucca, Italy, and Istituto Suore Mantellate, Viareggio,
Lucca, Italy direct via IZ5PVC. Simulcast on:
http://www.versiliawebtv.it/streaming/reteversilia.html
Saturday January 15 09:02:16 UTC
Istituto Comprensivo Via Toscana 2 Civitavecchia, Roma, Italy,
direct via IKØWGF. Simulcast on:
http://www.livestream.com/AMSAT_Italia
The Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 565.
ARISS has posted a frequency chart for packet, voice, and cross band
repeater modes showing Doppler correction at:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_
correction.rtf (careful with the line wrap).
Finally, astronauts Michael Fossum, KF5AQG, and Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, are
scheduled for ARISS prebrief sessions this month.
Both are scheduled to fly with
Expedition 28 in June 2011.
[ANS thanks ARISS Mentor Charlie, AJ9N, and Carol, KB3LKI, for the above
information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.09
AMSAT-UK's John Heaton, G1YYH Silent Key
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.09
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.09
AMSAT-UK Hon Sec Jim G3WGM wrote, "It is with a heavy heart that I
have to report the death of AMSAT-UK committee member John Heaton,
G1YYH. He died in hospital in Manchester UK on Christmas Eve, having
been admitted two weeks earlier. He had not been well for several
months prior to his death."
"John was the AMSAT-UK Webmaster for many years, and a regular attender
at the annual AMSAT-UK Colloquium. He always gave his time and consid-
erable expertise very generously. He will be terribly missed by his
friends and colleagues. He was a real gentleman."
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK and Jim, G3WGM, for the above information]
/EX
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-009.10
Vietnam CubeSat to Launch in 2011
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 009.10
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
January 9, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-009.10
Satellite news carried on the SouthGateARC news site reported that
a Vietnamese Amateur Radio CubeSat, F-1, is slated for launch towards
the end of next year.
The F-1 CubeSat will carry 2 independent transceivers (Yaesu VX-3R &
MHX L400) using amateur radio 145 and 437MHz bands. The transmission
speed will be 1200bps and higher using FM AFSK & GMSK modulation,
AX.25, KISS protocol. It will carry a low resolution C328 camera with
640x480 resolution.
The IARU satellite frequency coordination committee have agreed a down-
link frequency of 437.485MHz and it is hoped to launch in the 4th
quarter of 2011.
Vietnam F-1 CubeSat on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116436068290
F-1 on IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination pages
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/
finished_detail.php?serialnum=150
[ANS thanks the SouthGateARC News site for the above information]
/EX
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's
Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project
Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are
available from the AMSAT Office.
73,
This week's ANS Editor, wishing everyone a happy new year,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org