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ANS-215 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 27 Dec '14

27 Dec '14

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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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(a)amsat.org or k9jkm(a)amsat.org. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Journal Editor Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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

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ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-334 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: * CubeQuest Challenge, a NASA Centennial Challenges Competition * 20 Meter AMSAT Net - 1900 UTC, Sundays * W7O Wraps Up 10 Day AO-7 Commemoration * Deadline Looms for Proposals to Host Scheduled ISS Contacts in 2015 * Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-334.01 ANS-334 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 334.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 30, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-334.01 CubeQuest Challenge, a NASA Centennial Challenges Competition Registration now is open for NASA's Cube Quest Challenge, the agency's first in-space competition that offers the agency's largest- ever prize purse. Competitors have a shot at a share of $5 million in prize money and an opportunity to participate in space exploration and technology development, to include a chance at flying their very own CubeSat to the moon and beyond as secondary payload on the first integrated flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. "NASA's Cube Quest Challenge will engage teams in the development of the new technologies that will advance the state of the art of CubeSats and demonstrate their capabilities as viable deep space explorers," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Prize competitions like this engage the general public and directly contribute to NASA's goals while serving as a tool for open innovation." Challenge objectives include designing, building and delivering flight-qualified, small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the moon. The challenge and prize purse are divided into three major areas: Ground Tournaments: $500,000 in the four qualifying ground tournaments to determine who will have the ability to fly on the first SLS flight; Lunar Derby: $3 million for demonstrating the ability to place a CubeSat in a stable lunar orbit and demonstrate communication and durability near the moon; and Deep Space Derby: $1.5 million for demonstrating communication and CubeSat durability at a distance greater than almost 2.5 million miles (4,000,000 km), 10 times the distance from the Earth to the moon The Cube Quest Challenge seeks to develop and test subsystems necessary to perform deep space exploration using small spacecraft. Advancements in small spacecraft capabilities will provide benefits to future missions and also may enable entirely new mission scenarios, including future investigations of near-Earth asteroids. "Cube Quest is an important competition for the agency as well as the commercial space sector," said Eric Eberly, deputy program manager for Centennial Challenges at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "If we can produce capabilities usually associated with larger spacecraft in the much smaller platform of CubeSats, a dramatic improvement in the affordability of space missions will result, greatly increasing science and research possibilities." All teams may compete in any one of the four ground tournaments. Teams that rate high on mission safety and probability of success will receive incremental awards. The ground tournaments will be held every four to six months and participation is required to earn a secondary payload spot on SLS. The Lunar Derby focuses primarily on propulsion for small spacecraft and near-Earth communications, while the Deep Space Derby focuses on finding innovative solutions to deep space communications using small spacecraft. Together, these competitions will contribute to opening deep space exploration to non-government spacecraft. NASA's Centennial Challenges drive progress in aerospace technology - - of significant value to the agency's missions -- and encourage broad-based participation in aerospace research and development. The challenges help find the most innovative solutions to technical challenges through competition and cooperation. There have been 24 Centennial Challenges events since 2005. NASA has awarded more than $6 million to 16 challenge-winning teams. NASA's Centennial Challenges Program is part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use on future NASA missions. During the next 18 months, the directorate will make significant new investments to address several high-priority challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep space exploration. For more information about the directorate, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech The Centennial Challenges Program is managed at Marshall and the Cube Quest Challenge is administered by the agency's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. For more information on the Cube Quest Challenge, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/cubequest To learn more about NASA's challenges and citizen science efforts, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/solve [ANS thanks David E. Steitz and NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Meter AMSAT Net - 1900 UTC, Sundays There has been an uptick in participation on the AMSAT 20 Meter net since it announced their new format which began 9 Nov. The results have been encouraging. Check-ins have gone from 2-3 before the change to 11 last Sunday, 23 Nov. We did not run the net on 16 Nov. due to excess competition with the ARRL Sweepstakes - SSB Contest. Comments have been favorable so we will continue the net for a while and try to put out an occasional reminder. Once again, dust off your 20 Meter Rig, put up at least a dipole, and give us a call. The net meets at 1900 UTC, Sunday afternoons, on 14.282 MHz. Bring your questions and comments - we'll try to provide a "Hole." [ANS thanks Keith W5IU and Larry W7LB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- W7O Wraps Up 10 Day AO-7 Commemoration The W7O activity wrapped up on Monday afternoon November 24. Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK/VA7EWK thanks the 24 operators who put W7O on the air from locations all over the continental USA, on both HF and the satellites, . These operators logged almost 2500 QSOs as W7O on several HF bands, all of our current amateur satellites supporting voice and CW (AO-7, AO-73, FO-29, SO-50), and even one QSO using the ISS packet/APRS digipeater. Patrick is in the process of designing the W7O QSL card. It will be a folding card, with photos and a brief history of AO-7. It will incorporate the original AMSAT AO-7 QSL card issued for SWL reports from the 1970s. Patrick thanks Andy W5ACM "for providing me a high- resolution scan of a clean card! I have already received over 100 QSL requests in my mailbox, and Logbook of the World is reporting 781 W7O QSOs have been confirmed in that system. "It has been fun to hear people talking about the oldest amateur satellite still in operation. Some of W7O's HF operators were active on AO-7 in the 1970s, and at least one had worked W7O before emailing me to request being a W7O operator." The following is the list of operators who put W7O on the satellites: AA5PK KB1PVH KB1RVT KB6LTY KF5YXV (now W5CBF, also CO6CBF) W1PA W4UOO W5PFG W5RKN WA3NAN WD9EWK The following stations are those who volunteered to work HF as W7O from all over the continental USA:. AC0RA K6FW K7QI KB6LTY KC4LE KF5YXV (now W5CBF) KK5DO KK6NWJ N5HYP NX9G W1GIV W2JV W5PFG W6GMT W6ZQ W7OO Patrick is quick to pass on credit to where it is due. "Brock W6GMT was on HF every morning during the 10 days from Minnesota. Other satellite operators helped by working many HF shifts. George W1GIV in Connecticut worked many hours during the first weekend, logging almost 400 stations across the USA and many other countries - and he has never tried working the satellites!" Whether an operator worked only one satellite pass, one 60-minute shift on HF, or every single day during the 10-day event, the success of this special-event station is owed to everyone who wanted to be a part of W7O. This worked out so much better than Patrick could have hoped, and certainly better than W7O would have been if Patrick were the only operator putting the call on satellite passes. [ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadline Looms for Proposals to Host Scheduled ISS Contacts in 2015 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity There are just two weeks left for submitting contact proposals for the May 1 to December 31 period. Please share the following with teachers, administrators and leaders at your local schools, museums, science centers and scouting organizations. 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 SUMBIT A PROPOSAL IS DECEMBER 15, 2014. 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. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! At the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton announced the plan for the next generation of AMSAT satellites. "The door is open for everyone, to submit their ideas. AMSAT Engineering has a long term strategy and this is the first step." The Engineering long term strategy includes the following goals Advancement of amateur radio satellite technical and communications skills Enhance international goodwill Grow and sustain a skilled pool of amateur radio satellite engineers Establish and maintain partnerships with educational institutions Develop a means to use hardware common to all opportunities With respect to the last goal Jerry said "Within the bounds of the type of satellite it takes to achieve any of the various orbit opportunities, let's consider in those plans the possibility of developing a platform that can suit any and all orbits. Perhaps a modular CubeSat, using a common bus as we did in Fox-1, which gives great flexibility in building and flying different sizes and configurations of CubeSats with simple common-design hardware changes." Submissions should be thorough and contain the following information. The purpose of the proposal is not just in suggesting an idea; being an all-volunteer team AMSAT needs your help in carrying out the idea. Design Implementation - CubeSat platform Estimated timeline Cost - volunteer resources, commercial (COTS) units Launch - how does it get to orbit Strategy - how it fits into AMSAT's Engineering long term strategy As mentioned above the idea should be based on the CubeSat platform. This is the standard through which we will look for launches in the foreseeable future. In considering your proposal, Jerry encourages you to contact him (n0jy at amsat dot org) for more details on the criteria. A guidebook to the criteria is now available for download at http://tinyurl.com/ANS334-DesignGuide. In particular, if you plan to include a university as a partner to provide experiments or other support and you are not representing that university, please contact Jerry for assistance in working with our existing partners or establishing a new partnership. "Being amateur radio operators, it is easy for us to fall into a particular trap because of our history of communicating with other amateurs throughout the world" says Jerry. "Specifically, most people who are not already involved in the world of satellite technology are unaware of or simply overlook the provisions of the current ITAR and soon to be EAR export rules particularly with regard to deemed exports which requires governmental permission to discuss satellite projects with foreign nationals." While all amateurs are invited to submit ideas, U.S. amateurs must take particular care of they choose to become involved in a collaboration which includes individuals from other countries. It is permissible to receive ideas and proposals from outside the U.S., but it is not permitted for U.S. Persons to export or share design ideas with other countries unless they have taken the proper steps to insure compliance with ITAR and deemed export rules. Additionally, those wishing to work on proposals should use care in presenting themselves in their contacts. While the goal is for AMSAT to build and launch the satellite, it is not an AMSAT project until it is accepted by the AMSAT Board of Directors. It is acceptable to represent yourself as members of a project team that plans to submit a proposal to AMSAT for a future satellite project, as the AMSAT name is well known. "It is not our intention that ideas be submitted to AMSAT-NA which would be more appropriately handled by an AMSAT organization in a country where AMSAT is established. AMSAT-NA is seeking ideas from amateurs in North America and will certainly consider ideas from amateurs in countries which do not have an established AMSAT organization or relationships with an existing AMSAT organization." The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2015. After the submission date the ideas will be screened for completeness and then reviewed by a board consisting of the AMSAT Engineering Team, AMSAT Senior Officer and Board of Directors representatives, and aerospace industry members. The review board may modify or consolidate ideas and will consider which meet the criteria to become a project based on feasibility, cost, and the ability to bring value to the amateur satellite community. The review process is expected to be completed in September 2015. For those ideas selected to become a project which satisfy the requirements for an ELaNa launch, the idea authors will be asked to work with the AMSAT Engineering Team on an ELaNa proposal. The Engineering Team will then work on the details of execution for the selected project(s) and present a proposal to the AMSAT Board of Directors in October 2015 for final approval to begin work. Once approved, any ELaNa proposals will be submitted in November 2015 and the project(s) will move forward. Now is the time for YOU to begin working on the next AMSAT satellite! [ANS thanks Jerry N0JY for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News >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. ARISS-US Contact Proposal Window for 2015 contacts Closed December 15 One more reminder that the window for submitting proposals for an US ARISS contact during 2015 ends December 15. See the related post above. Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. All are encouraged to share this information with schools and other educational entities. A simple conversation with a teacher or an administrator can make all the difference in getting a school involved in the once in a lifetime opportunity. [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + ARRL Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, is featured as he hunts satellite DX from the ARRL Headquarters station, W1HQ. During a pass that brought the FO-29 satellite up the middle of the Atlantic, Sean worked DF6WE on CW on November 19. See the video at https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152636637992408 [ANS thanks the ARRL Facebook Page for the above information] + Artsat2 Ham radio deep space launch postponed http://amsat-uk.org/2014/11/28/ham-radio-deep-space-launch-delayed/ [ANS thanks ASMSAT-UK for the above information] + Popular Electronics magazine archive from the 1950's through the 1980's has been made available online. They are PDF files: http://tinyurl.com/ANS334-Poptronics [ANS thanks americanradiohistory.com 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 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, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-327 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: * ARISS Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals * Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm Reported Heading Back to Sea SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-327.01 ANS-327 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 327.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. November 23, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-327.01 ARISS Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window October 17 – 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. 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. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks Debra, K1DMJ, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm Reported Heading Back to Sea Early reports via e-mail exchanges indicate that Captain Yuri, UT1FG/mm may be headed back to sea in December. He is reportedly slated to take over the helm of the MV Greenwing which he will meet in either Canada or the on the ports of the Great Lakes in the USA. Currently the MV Greenwing is off the coast of Sicily and appears to waiting for a load to carry back to the USA or Canada. For those who want to do so, you will be able to "track" the ship on-line using websites such as http://www.marinetraffic.com You may need to provide one of the following identifiers to track the ship: Ship Name: Greenwing Ships Call Sign: P3GG9 Ships IMO #: 9230921 Ships MMSI #: 209996000 Historically, Captain Yuri has operated on the satellites with these parameters: 1) He operates 1/2 duplex with an Icom 706MKIIg rig with an ELK antenna 2) He is VERY good operator and speaks several languages well. 3) He has NO issues with the 1/2 duplex operations. 4) He works ALL of the available satellites, FM, Linear & even AO-7a. 5) He works ALL of the passes he can, EVEN in the middle of the night! [ANS thanks Frank, K4FEG 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 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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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ANS-313 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 08 Nov '14

08 Nov '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-313 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. ***** HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AO-7, Launched 15 November 1974 ***** In this edition: * AO-7, 40 years in Space November 15 * Special-Event Station for 40th Anniversary of OSCAR 7 Launch * Changes to AMSAT 20M Net Announced * EIAST launches UAE's first CubeSat Mission, Nayif-1 * Japanese Microsatellites Launched * Challenge Coin Premium for AMSAT Fox Donations Continues * K6LCS Sells Personal Items To Assist FOX Satellite Fundraising * CubeSat Simulator Intern Opportunity at Goddard Space Flight Center * Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! * ARISS U.S. Partners Now Accepting Proposals for Contacts in 2015 * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-313.01 ANS-313 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 313.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE November 9, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-313.01 AO-7, 40 years in Space November 15 40 years ago: AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched at 1711 UTC, November 15, 1974 from the Western Test Range at Vandenberg AFB in California AO-7 became the second AMSAT-NA constructed and Phase 2 amateur radio satellite launched into Low Earth Orbit. It remained operational until a short circuit in a battery in 1981. On 21 June 2002 the satellite was heard again on its 2 meter beacon (145.9775 MHz CW) after 21 years of silence, and 27 years in space. AO-7 remains semi-operational with reliable power only from its solar panels. The restoration of service was due to the short circuited battery becoming an open circuit allowing the solar cells to power the spacecraft. When the satellite eclipses it powers down. It is operational while the solar panels are illuminated by sunlight. The following links offer history and information on AO-7. Read the original AO-7 launch announcement in the 1974 AMSAT Newsletter: AMSAT-Newsletter-1974-AO-7Launch. AMSAT.org information on AO-7 http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=1031 A series of pictures of the historic AO-7 OSCAR mission can be found on pages 63-75 in the following PDF http://tinyurl.com/ANS313-AO7-Pictures-pp63-75 Michael Fletcher OH2AUE has published Schematics of linear AO-7's transponders. He apoligizes about the Finish http://www.kolumbus.fi/michael.fletcher/ao_07a.gif http://www.kolumbus.fi/michael.fletcher/ao_07b.gif Construct an OSCARLOCATOR in Celebration of AO-7! William Leijenaar, PE1RAH has revived the OSCARLATOR and provides a downloadable and printable version! http://www.qsl.net/pe1rah/oscarlator.htm [ANS thanks AMSAT, Michael OH2AUE and William PE1RAH for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 driectives 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 1x1 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 1x1 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] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT 20M Net Announced Keith Pugh, W5IU and Larry Brown, W7LB, Net Control stations for the AMSAT 20M International net have announced changes to the net operation. Keith wrote, "The AMSAT 20 Meter Net will be changing format effective 9 November 2014. It will start with check-ins at 1900 UTC on 14.282 MHz and proceed with Satellite Q&A and other topics." Continuing, he adds, "The weekly AMSAT Bulletin Titles will be read and an offer will be made to read or discuss specific bulletins by request. We encourage check-ins from AMSAT Officers, BOD Members, Operators that are very active on the Satellites, and of course Operators that are new to the Satellites and/or Ham Radio. The activity will generally be over by 2000 UTC. We realize that not everyone has 20 Meter capability but we need more activity to continue running this net. Dust off your HF Gear, put up a 20 Meter Dipole, and join us or let the net die a natural death." [ANS thanks Keith Pugh, W5IU and Larry Brown, W7LB for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- EIAST launches UAE's first CubeSat Mission, Nayif-1 EIAST, in partnership with American University of Sharjah (AUS), launched the UAE's first CubeSat Mission, Nayif 1, on November 4. CubeSat is a Nanosatellite that offers hands-on experience to engineering students in the design, integration, testing, and operation of a communications satellite. The CubeSat is scheduled to be launched on board a Falcon 9 rocket by the end of 2015 where a ground station will be built at AUS and operated by Emirati engineering students, responsible for mission planning and operations. The CubeSat development program, the first of its kind in the UAE, aims at investing and developing capabilities of Emirati engineering students in space technologies. A group of Emiratis consisting of seven students from various engineering disciplines at AUS, including computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, have been assigned to the project. Students will go through an intense systems design and testing training and will partake in the program as their Senior Engineering Design project and participate in the design, assembly, integration and testing of the CubeSat. Nayif-1 will carry out a 1U Communication Mission with development taking place in AUS, EIAST's facilities and Delft in the Netherlands. The project will be carried out in partnership with the implementation partner "Innovative Solutions in Space", one of the leading companies worldwide in the development of space components and NanoSatellite Systems. EIAST will take on the role of the integrator in the process and ensure that all necessary processes are in place to preserve and build upon the experience gained. Its objective will be to put in place all the necessary infrastructure at the University for a CubeSat development program between the implementation partner and AUS's Emirati students. Nayif-1 will integrate engineering student expertise and capabilities with the expertise, capabilities and resources from UAE industry, government and academia, which is a typical integration cycle in all KBEs, to build and launch CubeSat Mission. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director General of EIAST commented on the launch and stated, "this program plays a significant role in developing the Science and Technology sector in the UAE through investing in local talents and capabilities. We expect to have significant involvement of Emirati engineering students with the outcome being a UAE built and owned CubeSat. The program will also aid in establishing the necessary infrastructure at a UAE university to enable an ongoing university satellite program, preparing undergraduate, and later on, post graduate students to enter the UAE's space technology industry with firm practical knowledge in all disciplines of Satellite Systems Engineering". A CubeSat is of standardised and simplified design with an average dimension of 10 cubic centimetres (referred to as "one unit" or "1U"). Its weight is less than or equal to 1 kg; allowing it to be accessible and easily managed by students. CubeSats can also be scaled along one axis by 1U increment so that "2U" refers to CubeSat dimension of 20*10*10 cm and "3U" to 30*10*10 cm dimension. CubeSat usually utilises commercial, off-the-shelf components for development and is mainly operated by educational institutes for scientific research purposes. With simple infrastructure, design procedure, available components, and open launch opportunities, CubeSats have become popular in the space industry and an area of interest to educational institutes and governments. Above all, they are cost-effective and an independent means of getting payloads into orbit for learning, testing and verifying space systems. [ANS thanks SatellitePro Mid East for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Japanese Microsatellites Launched On Thursday, November 6 at 07:35:49 UT a Dnepr rocket carrying the primary payload Asnaro-1 and four microsatellites was launched from Dombarovsky near Yasny. Kosmotras report all spacecraft have been inserted into their target orbits. The four Japanese microsatellites are: - ChubuSat-1 (Kinshachi-1) 437.485 MHz CW/AX.25 (Digipeater uplink 145.980 MHz) - TSUBAME 437.250 MHz CW and 437.505 AX.25 - Hodoyoshi-1 467.674 MHz - QSAT-EOS (Tsukushi) an AX.25 GMSK payload has been reported but the frequency is unknown. Signals have been received from both ChubuSat-1 and TSUBAME. The 50kg class ChubuSat-1 aims to * Relay messages in amateur service (AX.25 packet radio Digipeater) * Take pictures of particular site on Earth commanded from the Earth station with an optical camera and an Infra-red camera * Try to take pictures of space debris commanded from the Earth station with above two cameras It will have 3 axis stabilisation. The 30kg class TSUBAME aims to * Demonstrate satellite bus technology for 30kg-class microsatellite and verification of COTS components such as micro-processors, memory and Li-ion batteries in the space environment * Verify of Control Moment Gyros developed by the Laboratory for Space Systems * Demonstrate of high-speed attitude manoeuvres technology using Control Moment Gyros. Some sensor data acquisition experiments will be conducted at the same time in order to demonstrate applications of CMGs * Demonstrate of SRLL communication protocol developed by Tokyo Institute of Technology and high-speed GMSK data downlink * Collect data through internet with the aid of radio amateurs all over the world TSUBAME TLE http://www.dk3wn.info/p/?p=51785 Kosmotras announcement http://www.kosmotras.ru/en/news/155/ Satellite info and launch video http://russianspaceweb.com/dnepr_asnaro.html ChubuSat-1 Slides http://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/chubusat/ChubuSat-20130311.pdf UHF Satellite frequencies http://www.satellitenwelt.de/freqlisten/SatFreq-UHF.txt IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel Status Pages http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Challenge Coin Premium for AMSAT Fox Donations Continues AMSAT has commissioned a unique challenge coin for donors who have contributed at the $100 level or higher. This challenge coin is shaped as an isometric view of a Fox-1 CubeSat, complete with details such as the stowed UHF antenna, solar cells, and camera lens viewport. Struck in 3mm thick brass, plated with antique silver, and finished in bright enamel, the coin is scaled to be approximately 1:4 scale, or 1 inch along each of the six sides. The reverse has the AMSAT Fox logo. Donations may be made via the AMSAT website, via the FundRazr crowdsourcing app at http://fnd.us/c/6pz92/sh/561Zd, or via the AMSAT office at (888) 322-6728. The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university experiments in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for radio amateurs worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015, and Fox-1B (also known as RadFXSat) is awaiting NASA ELANA launch assignment. Further information on the Fox project can be found at http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1113. [ANS thanks AMSAT Office for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- K6LCS Sells Personal Items To Assist FOX Satellite Fundraising Clint Bradford K6LCS is offering something a little different for those interested in donating to AMSAT-NA's FOX satellite projects. "I am digging up some unique space-related items and am offering them for sale, with 100 per cent of the sale price forwarded directly to AMSAT-NA's Fox fund," Clint reports. The first items available were six commemorative USPS first day covers celebrating the Apollo/Soyuz projects and the Apollo 11 Moon landing, as well as a 24-stamp plate block. Look for more items to be posted as the older ones sell. Details at ... http://work-sat.com/FUNDRAISING.html [ANS thanks Clint K6LCS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CubeSat Simulator Intern Opportunity at Goddard Space Flight Center The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is offering an internship position for the Spring, 2015 semester. Applications are being taken on the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) recruiting web site: https://intern.nasa.gov/ This position is in the Simulated Satellite (SimSat) program. Job Title: CubeSat Simulator Upgrade Plus (15-1) (Internship) The objective of this Opportunity is to allow a university level student to rework, repair and improve a prototype "1-Unit" CubeSat simulator/model on loan from AMSAT and then to share his or her experiences as a result. The model used in this Opportunity is similar to that described in The AMSAT Journal article "Education With A Satellite Simulator: ETP CubeSat Simulator," by Mr. Mark Spencer, ARRL Education and Technology Program Coordinator, Part 1 in the September/October 2009 issue and Part 2 in the November/December 2009 issue. Back copies are available at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/CubeSat/CubeSat-Pt1-SepOct09.pdf http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/CubeSat/CubeSat-Pt2-NovDec09.pdf A course of study in engineering is required. Electrical/Electronics Engineering or Electrical and Computer Engineering for university students in their junior class or higher. Experience in hardware is also required. The immediate skills required of the intern are to be a well-rounded individual, and to have an excellent knowledge of and experience with Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office (especially in using spreadsheets), electrical and electronic circuits (theory and practice), microcontrollers, interfacing, and basic laboratory test equipment and procedures. Familiarity with the CubeSat community is important. A proficiency in either C++ or a similar language for microcontrollers and the desire to learn a new one is necessary. A basic understanding of data acquisition, signal processing, or control is required. Hands-on experience in building something, repairing or upgrading PCs or other electronic gear, or just getting stuff to work is required. Mechanical and electrical construction skills will be used. Experience in RF or wireless technology (anywhere between 3 and 2400 MHz) is very important. Holding or obtaining an Amateur Radio license from the FCC and practical radio experience is a distinct advantage. A good attitude, an exceptional willingness to learn and to contribute as a team player are essential qualities. Likewise, excellent communicator skills (verbal, writing and definitely e- mail), reliability, punctuality, having a self-starter work ethic and the ability & desire to work independently for long periods are required. You may ask questions regarding the tasks and skill requirements with the mentor in advance (Mr. Pat Kilroy, Code 568, Patrick.L.Kilroy(a)nasa.gov) and telephone interviews will be available. The deadline to apply for the Spring 2015 semester is November 9. Applications must be made via the OSSI web. [ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! At the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium AMSAT Vice President - Engineering Jerry Buxton announced the plan for the next generation of AMSAT satellites. "The door is open for everyone, to submit their ideas. AMSAT Engineering has a long term strategy and this is the first step." The Engineering long term strategy includes the following goals Advancement of amateur radio satellite technical and communications skills Enhance international goodwill Grow and sustain a skilled pool of amateur radio satellite engineersEstablish and maintain partnerships with educational institutions Develop a means to use hardware common to all opportunities With respect to the last goal Jerry said "Within the bounds of the type of satellite it takes to achieve any of the various orbit opportunities, let's consider in those plans the possibility of developing a platform that can suit any and all orbits. Perhaps a modular CubeSat, using a common bus as we did in Fox-1, which gives great flexibility in building and flying different sizes and configurations of CubeSats with simple common-design hardware changes." Submissions should be thorough and contain the following information. The purpose of the proposal is not just in suggesting an idea; being an all-volunteer team AMSAT needs your help in carrying out the idea. Design Implementation - CubeSat platform Estimated timeline Cost - volunteer resources, commercial (COTS) units Launch - how does it get to orbit Strategy - how it fits into AMSAT's Engineering long term strategy As mentioned above the idea should be based on the CubeSat platform. This is the standard through which we will look for launches in the foreseeable future. In considering your proposal, Jerry encourages you to contact him for more details on the criteria. A guidebook to the criteria is now available for download here. In particular, if you plan to include a university as a partner to provide experiments or other support and you are not representing that university, please contact Jerry for assistance in working with our existing partners or establishing a new partnership. "Being amateur radio operators, it is easy for us to fall into a particular trap because of our history of communicating with other amateurs throughout the world" says Jerry. "Specifically, most people who are not already involved in the world of satellite technology are unaware of or simply overlook the provisions of the current ITAR and soon to be EAR export rules particularly with regard to deemed exports which requires governmental permission to discuss satellite projects with foreign nationals." While all amateurs are invited to submit ideas, U.S. amateurs must take particular care of they choose to become involved in a collaboration which includes individuals from other countries. It is permissible to receive ideas and proposals from outside the U.S., but it is not permitted for U.S. Persons to export or share design ideas with other countries unless they have taken the proper steps to insure compliance with ITAR and deemed export rules. Additionally, those wishing to work on proposals should use care in presenting themselves in their contacts. While the goal is for AMSAT to build and launch the satellite, it is not an AMSAT project until it is accepted by the AMSAT Board of Directors. It is acceptable to represent yourself as members of a project team that plans to submit a proposal to AMSAT for a future satellite project, as the AMSAT name is well known. "It is not our intention that ideas be submitted to AMSAT-NA which would be more appropriately handled by an AMSAT organization in a country where AMSAT is established. AMSAT-NA is seeking ideas from amateurs in North America and will certainly consider ideas from amateurs in countries which do not have an established AMSAT organization or relationships with an existing AMSAT organization." The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2015. After the submission date the ideas will be screened for completeness and then reviewed by a board consisting of the AMSAT Engineering Team, AMSAT Senior Officer and Board of Directors representatives, and aerospace industry members. The review board may modify or consolidate ideas and will consider which meet the criteria to become a project based on feasibility, cost, and the ability to bring value to the amateur satellite community. The review process is expected to be completed in September 2015. For those ideas selected to become a project which satisfy the requirements for an ELaNa launch, the idea authors will be asked to work with the AMSAT Engineering Team on an ELaNa proposal. The Engineering Team will then work on the details of execution for the selected project(s) and present a proposal to the AMSAT Board of Directors in October 2015 for final approval to begin work. Once approved, any ELaNa proposals will be submitted in November 2015 and the project(s) will move forward. Now is the time for YOU to begin working on the next AMSAT satellite! [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS U.S. Partners Now Accepting Proposals for Contacts in 2015 The ARISS U.S. partners have opened a window seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations in the U.S., individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS during 2015. The proposal window is October 17 - December 15, 2014. Read the announcement at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS313-ARISS 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. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions about hosting a contact in the U.S.to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between SK Putrajaya Presint 9, Putrajaya, Malaysia and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2014-11-01 11:14 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via 9M2RPN. ARISS Mentor was 7M3TJZ. + A Successful contact was made between Baltic State Technical University "Voenmekh" (BGTU), Saint-Petersburg, Russia and Cosmonaut FNAME Maxim Suraev using callsign RS0ISS. The contact began 2014-11- 03 09:15 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via RA1AJN. ARISS Mentor was RV3DR. + A Successful contact was made between Gulf English School, Kuwait City, Kuwait and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-11-04 12:56 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was IN3GHZ. + A Successful contact was made between Language High School "Geo Milev", Dobrich, Bulgaria and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-11-04 12:56 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was IN3GHZ. + A Successful contact was made between DLR School Lab TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany and Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO using callsign DPØISS. The contact began 2014-11-08 09:54 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via DLØIKT. ARISS Mentor was IN3GHZ. + A Successful contact was made between Woehlerschule, Frankfurt, Germany and Astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO using callsign DPØISS. The contact began 2014-11-08 09:54 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via DLØFFM. ARISS Mentor was IN3GHZ. + A Successful contact was made between Airdrie Space Science Club, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada and Astronaut Gregory Wiseman KF5LKT using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-11-08 16:01 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via VE6JBJ. ARISS Mentor was VE6JBJ. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule >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, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] Official ARISS Website http://www.ariss.org ARISS on FACEBOOK http://tinyurl.com/ANS313-ARISS-Facebook ARISS on Twitter https://twitter.com/ARISS_status or @ariss_status ISS Fan Club http://www.issfanclub.com Amateur radio Stations Heard via ISS Digipeater http://www.ariss.net/ Did You Know... Current flight rules require all the ham radios to be off during an EVA. Technically, the VHF radios needs to be off for Russian EVAs and the UHF radio needs to be off for US EVAs. For dockings and undockings, again the ISS operates under a flight rule that has the VHF/UHF radios off for Progress, Soyuz and ATV vehicle activity. Note that Cygnus, Dragon, HTV and formerly the Shuttle did not require the radios to be off. For Ham TV, already mentioned is that it will be off for any EVA. It needs to be off for ATV (the last one planned is there now) docking and undocking. It also has to be off when the Robotics arm is in close proximity. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + AMSAT North America Facebook page now boasts 920 members and growing. Join the fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/7828379515/ + Paul N8HM reninds us that AO-73 now has more convenient evening pass times as we've fallen back to Standard Time here in the United States. + Share This information With An Edcuator Near You! The following NASA information is of interest to Teachers; Educational, Museum and Science Centers Administrators; and anyone interested in supporting or using space as an educational tool. Please forward these on as you judge appropriate. NASA Education listserv sign up: http://www.nasa.gov/education/express NASA Twitter: http://twitter.com/nasa NASA Education Twitter: https://twitter.com/nasaedu NASA Blogs: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/newui/blog/blogs.jsp NASA Education EXPRESS Blog: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/educationexpress + Interesting ISS Information Space Station Timelines http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/#.VF0IXPnF90o Console Displays http://spacestationlive.nasa.gov/displays/index.html ISS Fligth Schedule http://spider.seds.org/shuttle/iss-sche.html Q&As With Reid Wiseman KF5LKT http://tinyurl.com/ANS313-Wiseman-Q-A Reid talks about Amateur Radio on the ISS in this Segment http://tinyurl.com/ANS313-Wiseman-HamRadio --------------------------------------------------------------------- /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, EMike McCardel, KC8YLD kc8yld at amsat dot org

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ANS-306 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 01 Nov '14

01 Nov '14

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-306 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: * Amateur Radio Satellite Payloads Lost in Antares Launch Explosion * Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! * ARISS U.S. Partners Now Accepting Proposals for Contacts in 2015 * Recent ARISS Contacts * Beta Testers Sought for New Heavens-Above Android app SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-306.01 ANS-306 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 306.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. November 2, 2014 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-306.01 Amateur Radio Satellite Payloads Lost in Antares Launch Explosion The RACE and GOMX-2 CubeSats were among more than 2 dozen satellites lost after an unmanned Orbital Space Sciences (OSC) Antares 130 vehicle exploded spectacularly shortly after launch at 2222 UTC on Tuesday, October 28, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Both satellite packages carried Amateur Radio payloads. The rocket exploded about 6 seconds after launch, sending a huge ball of fire hurtling toward the ground, which set a massive fire at the NASA launch site. The RACE (Radiometer Atmospheric Cubesat Experiment) CubeSat was a joint project between The Texas Spacecraft Laboratory (TSL) at the University of Texas-Austin and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Built by a 30-student team, it carried a 183 GHz radiometer, a new science instrument designed by JPL. The spacecraft was equipped to transmit using GMSK at 38.4 k and CW telemetry on a downlink frequency of 437.525 MHz. TSL’s Glenn Lightsey, KE5DDG, a UT engineering professor, oversaw the student project that worked hand-in-hand with NASA staff in creating a satellite that aimed to measure water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere. “It’s unfortunate, but it is also part of the aerospace industry,” Lightsey told the Texas Statesman newspaper. “The nature of building space vehicles is that it is not a 100 percent reliable process. Getting into space is really the hardest part.” The 2U GOMX-2 CubeSat was intended to test a de-orbit system designed by Aalborg University in Denmark. Karl Klaus Laursen, OZ2KK, is listed as the “responsible operator” on International Amateur Radio Union frequency coordination documents. The Amateur Radio payload proposed using a 9.6 k MSK data downlink on 437.250 MHz. Also on board was an optical communications experiment from the National University of Singapore. The mission also aimed to flight qualify a new high- speed UHF transceiver and SDR receiver built by an Aalborg University team. The Antares 130 launcher was on a resupply mission, carrying some 5000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station.RACE, GOMX-2 and the other satellites onboard the rocket were to be launched into orbit from the International Space Station. The Antares 130 also was carrying the Flock-1d array of 26 satellites as well as Arkyd-3 and Cygnus CRS-3. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Design The Next AMSAT Satellite! At the 2014 AMSAT Space Symposium AMSAT Vice President – Engineering Jerry Buxton announced the plan for the next generation of AMSAT satellites. “The door is open for everyone, to submit their ideas. AMSAT Engineering has a long term strategy and this is the first step.” The Engineering long term strategy includes the following goals Advancement of amateur radio satellite technical and communications skills Enhance international goodwill Grow and sustain a skilled pool of amateur radio satellite engineers Establish and maintain partnerships with educational institutions Develop a means to use hardware common to all opportunities With respect to the last goal Jerry said “Within the bounds of the type of satellite it takes to achieve any of the various orbit opportunities, let’s consider in those plans the possibility of developing a platform that can suit any and all orbits. Perhaps a modular CubeSat, using a common bus as we did in Fox-1, which gives great flexibility in building and flying different sizes and configurations of CubeSats with simple common-design hardware changes.” Submissions should be thorough and contain the following information. The purpose of the proposal is not just in suggesting an idea; being an all- volunteer team AMSAT needs your help in carrying out the idea. Design Implementation – CubeSat platform Estimated timeline Cost – volunteer resources, commercial (COTS) units Launch – how does it get to orbit Strategy – how it fits into AMSAT’s Engineering long term strategy As mentioned above the idea should be based on the CubeSat platform. This is the standard through which we will look for launches in the foreseeable future. In considering your proposal, Jerry encourages you to contact him for more details on the criteria. A guidebook to the criteria is now available for download here. In particular, if you plan to include a university as a partner to provide experiments or other support and you are not representing that university, please contact Jerry for assistance in working with our existing partners or establishing a new partnership. “Being amateur radio operators, it is easy for us to fall into a particular trap because of our history of communicating with other amateurs throughout the world” says Jerry. “Specifically, most people who are not already involved in the world of satellite technology are unaware of or simply overlook the provisions of the current ITAR and soon to be EAR export rules particularly with regard to deemed exports which requires governmental permission to discuss satellite projects with foreign nationals.” While all amateurs are invited to submit ideas, U.S. amateurs must take particular care of they choose to become involved in a collaboration which includes individuals from other countries. It is permissible to receive ideas and proposals from outside the U.S., but it is not permitted for U.S. Persons to export or share design ideas with other countries unless they have taken the proper steps to insure compliance with ITAR and deemed export rules. Additionally, those wishing to work on proposals should use care in presenting themselves in their contacts. While the goal is for AMSAT to build and launch the satellite, it is not an AMSAT project until it is accepted by the AMSAT Board of Directors. It is acceptable to represent yourself as members of a project team that plans to submit a proposal to AMSAT for a future satellite project, as the AMSAT name is well known. “It is not our intention that ideas be submitted to AMSAT-NA which would be more appropriately handled by an AMSAT organization in a country where AMSAT is established. AMSAT-NA is seeking ideas from amateurs in North America and will certainly consider ideas from amateurs in countries which do not have an established AMSAT organization or relationships with an existing AMSAT organization.” The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2015. After the submission date the ideas will be screened for completeness and then reviewed by a board consisting of the AMSAT Engineering Team, AMSAT Senior Officer and Board of Directors representatives, and aerospace industry members. The review board may modify or consolidate ideas and will consider which meet the criteria to become a project based on feasibility, cost, and the ability to bring value to the amateur satellite community. The review process is expected to be completed in September 2015. For those ideas selected to become a project which satisfy the requirements for an ELaNa launch, the idea authors will be asked to work with the AMSAT Engineering Team on an ELaNa proposal. The Engineering Team will then work on the details of execution for the selected project(s) and present a proposal to the AMSAT Board of Directors in October 2015 for final approval to begin work. Once approved, any ELaNa proposals will be submitted in November 2015 and the project(s) will move forward. Now is the time for YOU to begin working on the next AMSAT satellite! [ANS thanks Jerry, N0JY, for the above information --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS U.S. Partners Now Accepting Proposals for Contacts in 2015 The ARISS U.S. partners have opened a window seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations in the U.S., individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS during 2015. The proposal window is October 17 – December 15, 2014. Read the announcement at: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARISS/ARISS%20Proposal%20Window%20Announceme… Oct-2014.pdf 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. More details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions are available at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions about hosting a contact in the U.S.to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent ARISS Contacts A direct contact via 8N4STAR with students at Bisei Elementary School, Ibara, Japan was successful Mon 2014-10-27 08:52:46 UTC 41 deg. Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO answered 6 questions for students. Bisei Elementary School with 162 students was established at 1970 in the small town of Bisei. It is the home of the Bisei Astronomical Observatory. ****************** A telebridge contact with members of The Explorers Club, New York City, New York, USA via IK1SLD was successful Sat 2014-10-25 16:36:09 UTC 56 deg. Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO responded to nine questions, which included questions from Apollo astronauts Charles Duke, Apollo 16 moon walker, and Walt Cunningham, Apollo 7 Lunar Module pilot. Two ticket holders for Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2 also were among those who asked questions. 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 Club members. [ANS thanks Charlie, AJ9N, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Beta Testers Sought for 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 to chris.peat(a)heavens-above.com from your google mail account (or let Chris know the name of your Google account) and you will be added 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. A forum is also available on the Heavens-Above site; http://www.heavens-above.com/forum/default.aspx?g=forum&c=5 [ANS thanks Chris Peat 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 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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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