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February 2017

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ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Joseph Spier 25 Feb '17

25 Feb '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-057 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: * OSCAR Number EO-88 for Nayif-1 * Two projects with AMSAT ties selected for NASA launches * ARISS Equipment on SpaceX Launch * VEGA Flight Opportunity for Multiple Small Satellites * Satellite Changes in AMSAT Keplerian Element Distribution * LUSAT LO-19 Calls Home * Expect More from Amateur BY70-1 Youth Space Program * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts from All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-057.01 ANS-057 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 057.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE Febuary 26, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-057.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- OSCAR Number EO-88 for Nayif-1 In accordance with the request sent to the AMSAT-NA Board of Directors for an OSCAR number for the UAE CubeSat, Nayif-1, and the statement that all of the conditions for an OSCAR number have been met, I hereby by the authority vested in me by the AMSAT-NA president, do convey on Nayif-1 the designation Emirates Oscar 88 or EO-88. Along with the rest of the Amateur Radio satellite community, I hope that EO- 88 will meet all of its objectives. I wish you and your group the best of luck in this and future endeavors to keep Amateur Radio in space. [ANS thanks William A. (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, OSCAR Number Administrator for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Two projects with AMSAT ties selected for NASA launches Two cubesat missions with ties to AMSAT have been selected as part of the eighth round of the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative. These spacecraft are eligible for placement on a launch manifest after final negotiations, depending on the availability of a flight opportunity. TJREVERB is a CubeSat from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Alexandria, Virginia. This satellite will include an AMSAT Fox mode U/v FM radio system, and will be capable of serving as an analog FM repeater. HuskySat-1 from the University of Washington in Seattle will carry a mode V/u linear transponder and 1200 baud BPSK beacon similar to RadFXsat-2. The satellite will demonstrate plasma propulsion and high gain telemetry in advance of a larger CubeSat lunar mission. The complete list of satellites selected may be found at on the NASA web page. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-announces-eighth-class-of-candidates-for- launch-of-cubesat-space-missions http://www.amsat.org/?p=5795 [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, AMSAT Vice-President for Operations for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS Equipment on SpaceX Launch Included as part of the successful launch of the SpaceX Dragon vehicle to ISS is an ARISS Ericsson 2 meter VHF radio. This radio will replace the Ericsson radio that failed a few months ago. The VHF radio is used for school group contacts and amateur packet radio in the Columbus module. Once the Dragon vehicle is berthed to ISS, the Ericsson will be unstowed and, at some point, installed in Columbus, replacing the UHF radio that is now supporting APRS packet and some school contacts. The unmanned cargo ship packed with food and supplies for astronauts arrived safely at the International Space Station Thursday, 2/23/2017. The Dragon cargo ship was grabbed by the station's robotic arm at 5:44 am (1044 GMT). Our thanks to SpaceX on an outstanding and historic flight from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, where many Space Shuttle missions and nearly all the Apollo moon missions were launched. We also would like to thank our ARISS benefactors-NASA and CASIS, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. And, of course, our amateur radio long-time sponsors-our national amateur radio organizations around the world, including the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in the US, and our international AMSAT organizations, including AMSAT-NA. ARISS is also making great progress on the development of the new interoperable radio system that we hope to use to replace our aging radio infrastructure in the Columbus module and the Service module. The hard (and expensive) part of this effort is just beginning, with testing and human certification on the horizon. We thank all that have donated to the cause thus far. We hope you continue to help ARISS move forward through your support, including your volunteer time and talent and, of course, financial contributions through the AMSAT web site donate button. [ANS thanks Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair, AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- VEGA Flight Opportunity for Multiple Small Satellites Europe’s Vega small launcher is set to demonstrate its extended capability to deploy multiple light satellites using its new versatile Small Satellites Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser, in the second half of 2018. This demonstration provides the first of the launch opportunities under the new Light satellite, Low-cost Launch opportunity (LLLor L3) Initiative initiated at the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level in December 2016 with the aim to provide low-cost and regular launch services for European Institutional light satellites through full exploitation of the Ariane 6 and Vega C launch systems’ capabilities. This first proof-of-concept flight using the current Vega launch system will demonstrate and validate standard innovative services for light satellites. The SSMS dispenser with its modular design enables Vega to provide launch opportunities for light satellites with an overall mass ranging from 1 kg CubeSats up to 400 kg minisats with different alternative configurations and relevant combinations under a ‘rideshare’ concept. Potential customers, be they European public-sector organizations or other entities, are invited to respond to the joint ESA and European Commission Announcement of Opportunity, which can be downloaded together with its questionnaire, by 31 March. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/Vega_flight_opportunity_for_ multiple_small_satellites (including links for the application process due by March 31) [ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Changes in AMSAT Keplerian Element Distribution The following five satellites/object numbers have been deleted: SATELLITE NORAD CAT ID REASON BY70-1 41909 Deorbit 2-18-2017 OBJECT 41930 41930 Not Amateur Sat-ISS Launch EGG 41933 Not Amateur Sat-ISS Launch OBJECT 41934 41934 Not Amateur Sat-ISS Launch TuPOD 41936 41936 Batteries Dead-ISS Launch Thanks to Nico Janssen for his work in predicting BY70-1's deorbit. As noted last week, Nayif-1 was launched with 103 other satellites on 2-15-2017. The cloud of satellites is beginning to spread and Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, has developed a TLE set that many on AMSAT-BB say is very accurate. I have included it in this week's distribution. Thanks again to a very busy Nico for his excellent work. Detailed doppler measurements show that Nayif 1 is object 42017, 2017-008BX. Keith Pugh, W5IU, suggested that I include Nayif-1 in the regular distribution so those using apps like PocketSat would be able to track it. Good idea Keith. (I have PocketSat myself!) [ANS thanks AMSAT's Keeper of the Keps Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- LUSAT LO-19 Calls Home On Feb-20 15:45z LUSAT LO-19 on Orbit 141493 had been heard with strong carrier on 437.125 ± Doppler. LUSAT had been in space last 27 years and still emits it's CW carrier un-modulated with 900 mW. Now and then the satellite comes alive, it is useful to test reception and demonstrate Doppler, check antennas, etc. Please try to listen, on http://amsat.innova-red.net/pass you will find an easy way to locate, receive, and thank you if reported. [ANS thanks Pedro, LU7ABF for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Expect More from Amateur BY70-1 Youth Space Program In announcing the end of a successful mission the students who built the amateur radio FM transponder satellite BY70-1 say “We hope more Amateur youth space program will be brought to you in the near future!” The 2U CubeSat BY70-1 was built by students from the Beijing Bayi High School and carried into a 524 x 212 km orbit on a CZ-2D rocket launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center on December 28, 2016. On February 17, 2017, as the satellite was about to burn up on its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, this end of mission statement was posted on the school’s website. Dear friends of BY70-1: Satellite BY70-1 has completed all designed missions. For the amateurs who completed 2-way QSO using the repeater onboard, received effective satellite telemetry, or obtained satellite camera photos, we would like to invite you sending connection data package (audio or video evidence), satellite telemetry data or photos received to Email: 6015(a)bayims.cn. So that we can keep statistics records and deliver our appreciation toward you in public. We would be pleased to exchange QSL card for QSO users, and some souvenirs for the telemetry or camera photos users. We hope more Amateur youth space program will be brought to you in the near future! E-mail Address: 6015 @bayims.cn Post Address: Mr Xiangming TAOBeijing Bayi School, 29# Suzhou Street, Haidian Dist, Beijing, China P.O. 100080 http://www.bayims.cn/article-16881.html BY70-1 FM transponder satellite https://amsat-uk.org/2016/12/27/by70-1-fm-transponder-satellite/ BY70-1 FM contact video https://amsat-uk.org/2016/12/30/by70-1-fm-transponder-contact/ See BY70-1 page on Roland PY4ZBZ website http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/by70.htm [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMSAT Events Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations). *Saturday and Sunday, 11-12 March 2017 – ScienceCity in Tucson AZ *Saturday, 18 March 2017 – Scottsdale SpringFest in Scottsdale AZ *Friday through Sunday, 31 March–2 April 2017, NVCON in Las Vegas NV *Wednesday, 5 April 2007 – presentation for Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club in Scottsdale AZ *Friday and Saturday, 7-8 April 2017, Green Country Hamfest in Claremore OK *Saturday, 6 May 2017 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ *19-21 May 2017, HamVention in the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio *Friday and Saturday, 9-10 June 2017, HAM-COM in Irving TX *Saturday, 10 June 2017 – Prescott Hamfest in Prescott AZ [ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News Successful Contacts * Collège André Malraux, Chatelaillon-Plage, France, telebridge via ON4ISS The ISS callsign was scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut was Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful Mon 2017-02-13 14:00:35 UTC 67 deg. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG answered 19 questions prepared by students for an audience 190 students and guests. HamTV downlinked Pesquet live throughout the entire contact thanks to British Amateur TV Club merging 2 HamTV ground stations’ received signals. The live-stream was seen by 230 of the general public via BATC connections. Watch a recording of the live-streamed HamTV downlink: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byp8JadKjPOmOUFCeDdZMFhSMm8/view?usp=shari… Watch France's national television's report at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7amhLMgA8&feature=em-upload_owner * John Glenn Middle School, Maplewood MN, direct via KØJDD The ISS callsign was scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut was Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact was successful: Wed 2017-02-22 18:47:59 UTC 25 deg All 16 questions answered with a 73 round. Students, teachers and parents came to 900 individuals. One television station and four print media outlets were also in attendance. They reported full quieting for the entire pass. * Ecole primaire Elie Desplan, Boissières, France and Marie Castang, Saint Dionisy, France, direct via F4HHV The ISS callsign was scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut was Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact was successful: Sat 2017-02-25 13:14:15 UTC 58 deg Successful contact between the 2 schools of Boissieres and Saint Dionisy with Thomas Pesquet. All 20 questions answered, clear audio all the way long (Normal and acceptable UHF noise at the beginning and at the end) Reported 350 people present in the gymnasium. Also success for the Ham video transmission through BATC, but also through the local Ham-Video Ground Station. Press and media presence: 1 national TV (BFM) -> scheduled broadcasted 2/25 2 Regional TVs (France 3), TV TV-Sud 1 Regional radio (France Bleu) Several Regional newspapers including Le Midi Libre Upcoming Contacts * 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece, direct via SV7APQ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD The contact will be rescheduled for a later date. * ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE, Space Odyssey Project, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, direct via RVØADW The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Andrei Borisenko Contact is a go for Sat 2017-02-25 08:36 UTC * ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE, Raduga Space Communication Center of St. Petersburg, Russia, direct via RA1AJN The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled astronaut is Sergey Ryzhikov Contact is a go for Sun 2017-02-26 09:15 UTC * Student Space Technology Association, Knoxville, TN, direct via AA4UT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Wed 2017-03-01 19:08:03 UTC 49 deg **************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. **************************************************************************** Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 – April 15, 2017 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 January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. 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 April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students 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 dates and times of the radio contact. 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 and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. **************************************************************************** ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n(a)amsat.org or aj9n(a)aol.com. Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.8Ø MHz. **************************************************************************** All ARISS contacts are made via the Kenwood radio unless otherwise noted. **************************************************************************** Several of you have sent me emails asking about the RAC ARISS website and not being able to get in. That has now been changed to http://www.ariss.org/ Note that there are links to other ARISS websites from this site. **************************************************************************** Looking for something new to do? How about receiving DATV from the ISS? If interested, then please go to the ARISS-EU website for complete details. Look for the buttons indicating Ham Video. http://www.ariss-eu.org/ If you need some assistance, ARISS mentor Kerry N6IZW, might be able to provide some insight. Contact Kerry at kbanke(a)sbcglobal.net **************************************************************************** ARISS congratulations the following mentors who have now mentored over 100 schools: Satoshi 7M3TJZ with 123 Gaston ON4WF with 123 Francesco IKØWGF with 119 **************************************************************************** The webpages listed below were all reviewed for accuracy. Out of date webpages were removed and new ones have been added. If there are additional ARISS websites I need to know about, please let me know. Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. All dates and times listed follow International Standard ISO 8601 date and time format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2017-02-23 05:00 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school events is 1116. Each school counts as 1 event. Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 1080. Each contact may have multiple schools sharing the same time slot. Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 47. A complete year by year breakdown of the contacts may be found in the file. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf Please feel free to contact me if more detailed statistics are needed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following US states and entities have never had an ARISS contact: Arkansas, Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the Virgin Islands. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL information may be found at: http://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html ISS callsigns: DPØISS, IRØISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RSØISS **************************************************************************** The successful school list has been updated as of 2017-02-23 05:00 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf Check out the Zoho reports of the ARISS contacts https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000020415 **************************************************************************** Exp. 49 on orbit Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Andrei Borisenko Sergey Ryzhikov Exp. 50 on orbit Peggy Whitson Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Oleg Novitskiy **************************************************************************** Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled. [ANS thanks ARISS and Charlie, AJ9N 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-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Lee McLamb 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-050 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: * Nayif-1 Launched * Satellite Operators on the Road * Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity * RadFXsat-2 Receives IARU Frequency Coordination * 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop * BY70-1 Re-entry SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-050.01 ANS-050 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 050.01 From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. DATE February 19, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-050.01 Nayif-1 Launched The Indian Space Agency ISRO successfully launched the amateur radio satellite Nayif-1 along with 103 other satellites, a record for a single launch. The PSLV- C37 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 03:58 UT on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Nayif-1 started transmitting about an hour after launch and radio amateurs in the west of the USA reported the first signals. The first frame of data received at the Data Warehouse was from Christy Hunter KB6LTY. Telemetry data was also received by WA6FWF, KA7FVV, WC7V, NC7V, K6FW, KE7QPV, WA9ONY, W5PFG, KK6AYK. Ken Eaton GW1FKY reports he received his first frames of data when the satellite came in range of the UK at 10:07 UT. The satellite looks to be in perfect health and it was placed in autonomous mode before the end of the first day in orbit. Just like FUNcube-1, this mode has the spacecraft sending high power telemetry when in sunlight and with the SSB/CW transponder active when in eclipse. Already many contacts have been made through the transponder. As expected, the frequency stability of this spacecraft is much better than its predecessors. A new post-launch set of TLE’s has been issued by the launch authority and it can be downloaded from http://amsat-nl.org/download/NAYIF_TLE.txt Please note that these numbers are not based on JSpOC observations so we do not yet have a valid catalog number. During the Launch and Early Operation phase (LEOP) of the mission, the Nayif-1 command team have been headquartered at the American University of Sharjah Ground station in the United Arab Emirates. They have been very grateful for all the telemetry received from around the world. It has proven to be immensely useful to the team in checking that the spacecraft is functioning correctly. Our world-wide network has greatly impressed the many professionals that have been watching our activities. Already more than 100 ground stations are submitting data to the Nayif Data Warehouse. Please continue uploading the data as this will further enhance our knowledge about the spacecraft and the space environment through which it is traveling at 7.6 km/s. The Nayif-1 Data Warehouse has been updated and now includes the Whole Orbit, High Resolution graphs and the upload ranking. It also includes telemetry details from the ADCS sub-system – this is called the iMTQ and is capable of actively magnetorquing. Over the coming days, we will be further tweaking the warehouse, so bear with us if it is unavailable for short periods of time. Background Nayif-1 has been developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS). The UAE’s first Nanosatellite was developed by Emirati engineering students from AUS under the supervision of a team of engineers and specialists from MBRSC within the framework of a partnership between the two entities, aiming to provide hands-on experience to engineering students on satellite manufacturing. The spacecraft includes a U/V linear transponder and telemetry transmitter. It employs enhanced oscillator circuitry and includes an active attitude determination and control system. The operating frequencies for the spacecraft are: Telemetry 145.940 MHz using 1k2 BPSK to the FUNcube standard. SSB/CW Transponder Uplink on 435.045 – 435.015 MHz Downlink on 145.960 – 145.990 MHz The Nayif-1 Telemetry Dashboard can be downloaded from http://download.funcube.org.uk/nayif-1_Dashboard_1039_Installer.msi Guidance notes https://funcubetest2.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nayif-1_dashboard_notes_re… _1-0b.pdf A file to test that the Dashboard and Warehouse configuration are working correctly http://download.funcube.org.uk/nayif1_testfile.funcubebin Nayif-1 Data Warehouse http://data.amsat-uk.org/nayif1/ [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Operators on the Road ZF, CAYMAN ISLANDS. Scott/KA9P and Ron/W9XS will be active as ZF2SC and ZF2FB, respectively, from the Cayman Islands between February 22-28th. Activity will be on 40/30/20/17/15 meters and the satellites. Operations will typically be CW, with a KX1 or KX3, and Buddipole beams or verticals. QSL via their home callsigns or LoTW. 6E, MEXICO. A group of Ham Radio operators from Southern Mexico will be operating from some Mayan archaeological sites from the Mexican States of Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas and Quintana Roo, using the special callsign 6E3MAYA between March 18-21st. Activity is to commemorate the Spring Equinox which is so important for the Mayan culture. Activity will be on 80-6 meters on CW, SSB, the satellites and the Digital modes. QSL via XE3N. C6, BAHAMAS (IOTA Op). Operators John/M0IDA, Rob/M0VFC and Steve/M1ACB hope to be active as C6APY from Little Harbour Cay, Berry Islands (NA-054, WW Locator FL15do). They will fly into the Bahamas on March 2nd, but it will take them a couple of days to get to the island, so they hope to be active around March 4th - but this is very much weather dependent, as is the whole operation. They will fly back to the UK on March 12th, which means they will need to de-rig on the 10th or 11th, again varying according to the weather. Operation probably won't be 24/7 - they will do as much operating as they can, but eating and sleeping is back on the boat, there's only three of them, and they will probably want to go for the occasional swim as well. They will be running up to three stations simultaneously, all Elecraft K3s at 100W. They will be generator powered and have to carry the full week's fuel with them on the boat, hence no amps. They are expecting that most QSOs will be on 40-15 meters; they will monitor the higher HF bands as well and may venture on to 10/12m if propagation favors them; similarly they may throw up an 80m dipole, but don't expect to do very much, if anything, there. There will definitely be CW (op M0VFC) and SSB (ops M0IDA and M1ACB); they may also do some data if time permits. They should be active on some satellite passes with hand-held antennas: the FM birds will only cover parts of the USA, and not EU, so they will attempt some FO-29 passes as well. They are not satellite experts though, so be patient with them. QSL is via M0OXO's OQRS system. They will upload the logs to ClubLog and LoTW regularly throughout the trip, assuming all the kit plays nicely. Watch Twitter for any other updates: https://twitter.com/rmc47 (M0VFC) https://twitter.com/ItinerantHam (M0IDA) [ANS thanks Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals Proposal Window February 15 - April 15, 2017 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 January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018. 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 April 15, 2017. Proposal information and documents can be found at www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. The Opportunity Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students 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 dates and times of the radio contact. 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 and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). More Information Interested parties can find more information about the program at www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. For proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times of Information Sessions go to http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact. Please direct any questions to ariss(a)arrl.org. [ANS thanks Dave, AA4KN, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RadFXsat-2 Receives IARU Frequency Coordination RadFXSat-2 is a 1U cubesat technology demonstration mission from Vanderbilt University that has been accepted for launch as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Vanderbilt University is partnered with AMSAT, who will provide the satellite and communications for the experiments onboard as part of the AMSAT Fox program. AMSAT recently received IARU frequency coordination for a 1200 baud BPSK telemetry downlink beacon on 435.750 MHz, and a mode V/u inverting transponder with an uplink of 145.860-145.890 MHz and a downlink of 435.760-435.790 MHz. RadFXSat-2 is currently manifested as part of the ELaNA XX mission, scheduled for no earlier than December 2017, on a Virgin Galactic Launcher One, from Mojave, California. Other satellites on the mission include: CACTUS-1 – Capitol Technology University, Laurel, Md. ALBus – NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio SurfSat – University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. Q-PACE – University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. CAPE-3 – University of Louisiana Lafayette, La. MiTEE – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. PICS – Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah INCA – New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M. MicroMas-2b – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Mass. EXOCUBE – California Polytechnic University, San Louis Obispo, Calif. PolarCube – University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colo. [ANS thanks Drew, KO4MA, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop The 14th Annual CubeSat Developers Workshop will be held in San Luis Obispo, CA April 26-28 2017. The schedule is now on the workshop website at the link below. http://www.cubesat.org/s/2017-Workshop-Schedule.pdf REGISTRATION Prices are as follows: 3 Day Pass + Banquet Early Bird Professional - $375 Professional - $475 Student - $150 1 Day Pass Early Bird Professional - $160 Professional - $200 Early bird registration ends on March 17, 2017 so be sure to register before the price goes up! [ANS thanks the CubeSat Workshop Team for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- BY70-1 Re-entry The 2U CubeSat BY70-1 was built by students from the Beijing Bayi High School and carried into a 524 x 212 km orbit on a CZ-2D rocket launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center on December 28, 2016. On February 17, 2017, as the satellite started to burn up on its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, this end of mission statement was posted on the school’s website. Dear friends of BY70-1: Satellite BY70-1 has completed all designed missions. For the amateurs who completed 2-way QSO using the repeater onboard, received effective satellite telemetry, or obtained satellite camera photos, we would like to invite you sending connection data package (audio or video evidence), satellite telemetry data or photos received to Email: 6015(a)bayims.cn. So that we can keep statistics records and deliver our appreciation toward you in public. We would be pleased to exchange QSL card for QSO users, and some souvenirs for the telemetry or camera photos users. We hope more Amateur youth space program will be brought to you in the near future! E-mail Address: 6015(a)bayims.cn Post Address: Mr Xiangming TAOBeijing Bayi School, 29# Suzhou Street, Haidian Dist, Beijing, China P.O. 100080 [ANS thanks Beijing Bayi High School and AMSAT-UK 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-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by E.Mike McCardel 11 Feb '17

11 Feb '17

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-043 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: * SSTV From The ISS February 13-14 * K5T Grid Expedition to DL88jx * Great STEM Lesson Idea * Donations for AMSAT SA Kletskous CubeSat * 2017 Teachers Institute Schedule Announced * University CubeSat Opportunity * Nayif-1 CubeSat Launch Announced * Nayif-1 UPDATE Pre-launch Keps and more details * UT1FG/MM QSL Procedure for this season * Live HAMTV Video Planned for ARISS Contact * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-043.01 ANS-043 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins AMSAT News Service Bulletin 043.01 >From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD. February 12, 2017 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-043.01 SSTV From The ISS February 13-14 An MAI-75 Experiment SSTV event is planned to begin on Monday, Feb. 13 from 09:25-18:00 UTC and Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 11:25-16:30 UTC. The downlink frequency is expected to be 145.800 MHz and the transmission mode is expected to be PD180. This opportunity should cover most of the world during the operational period. The MAI-75 experiment uses a notebook computer on the ISS Russian Segment, which stores images that are then transmitted to Earth using the ham radio, specifically the onboard Kenwood TM D710E transceiver. Images received can be posted and viewed at https://ariss- sstv.blogspot.com/ Please note that the event, and any ARISS event, is dependent on other activities, schedules and crew responsibilities on the ISS and are subject to change at any time. While preparations are being finalized please check for new and the most current information on the AMSAT.org and ARISS.org websites, the AMSAT-BB(a)amsat.org, the ARISS facebook at Amateur Radio On The International Space Station (ARISS) and ARISS twitter @ARISS_status for the latest information on this event. [ANS thanks ARISS for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- K5T Grid Expedition to DL88jx Several satellite operators will make their way down to the southernmost tip of Texas' "Big Bend" on Sunday, February 12, 2017. Operating from within Big Bend National Park's Talley Campground via amateur satellites, grid chasers will have a shot at the ellusive DL88jx for a period of roughly 18 hours. Listen for K5T on FM and SSB satellites starting roughly at 21:00 UTC on February 12 through 15:00 UTC on February 13. ISS packet is possible but not planned. You may occasionally catch K5T in grid square DL89. Pass/schedule requests will not be honored on this trip. Some HF operation may occur. Paper QSL with SASE via W5PFG or LoTW with the callsign "K5T." [ANS thanks Clayton W5PFG for the above Information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Great STEM Lesson Idea Dave Ryan, EI4HT/M0GIW, has posted an excellent video of a project he devised with his daught Erin. Dave and his daughter downloaded the list of questions for the ARISS QSO between Astronaut Shane Kimbrough and South Street School, Danbury, Connecticut USA. He and Erin researched the questions and made a list of projected answers for them. The contact was made with ON4ISS, an ARISS telebridge station in Belgium, and Erin and Dave were able to listen to the transmission live from from their QTH in South Yorkshire, UK. Dave videotaped the QSO and posted it online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzQbyIH8Qwg This is an excellent example of how to integrate Amateur Radio and the the ISS without being directly part of an ARISS contact. The examples can be used with any demo or within a planned classroom setting. This is a great example of how to introduce a STEM related activity and create an interest in the hobby at the same time. [ANS thanks Dave EI4HT/M0GIW and Erin for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Donations for AMSAT SA Kletskous CubeSat Two companies, RS Components and Trax Interconnect, have made major contributions to AMSAT SA's Kletskous CubeSat. RS Components have supplied components for the next generation Electronic Power Supply system (EPS) and the controller board. Trax Interconnect supplied the PC Boards for the EPS, the controller board and the magnetic stabilisation system. Their support for amateur radio and amateur radio satellites is much appreciated. [ANS thanks the SARL weekly news in English 2017-2-4 for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 Teachers Institute Schedule Announced ARRL has announced the 2017 schedule for our Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. We want you to be among the first to receive this information. If you are an ARRL member you’ll see an article about the Teachers Institute in the March issue of QST. You will also see an announcement in our next issue Radio Waves. If you are a past participant of the Teachers Institute we hope that you have found many ways to use the ideas, training and resources you received and are interested in spreading the word to other teachers. You may want to consider signing up for the advanced TI-2 on Remote Sensing and Data Gathering. You are probably in the best position to know where to circulate information about this opportunity within your school district. A listing on your school or school district website? A newsletter? A web page for science and technology teachers? Word of mouth to teachers in your circle? We’d like to get the word out to reach teachers who can make use of this opportunity. If you would like to receive copies of our printed brochures please send your request and your mailing address to etp(a)arrl.org. Here’s some copy you can use to announce the opportunity in your school community: Integrate STEM by Exploring Wireless Technology ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio, has just announced the schedule for two sessions of its Introductory Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI-1) to be offered during the summer of 2017. The ARRL Teachers Institute is an expenses paid, intensive professional development opportunity for educators who want to receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom. Topics at the TI-1 Introduction to Wireless Technology, include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming and basic robotics. ARRL will also offer an advanced Teachers Institute (TI-2) on Remote Sensing and Data Gathering. This linked article from the March issue of ARRL’s journal, QST, includes the schedule and description of offerings this summer. Please visit the ARRL website at: www.arrl.org/ti for more details and to download an application. Watch this video for an inside look at the Teachers Institute! Application deadline is May 1. [ANS thanks Debra K1DMJ and the ARRL for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- University CubeSat Opportunity The UK Space Agency is encouraging university students to take advantage of a new opportunity to build and test their own CubeSats The aim of the The Fly Your Satellite! program is to support university student teams with educational CubeSats throughout the assembly, integration, testing, and verification process. By participating in the programme, students will implement standard practices for spacecraft development; receive support from experienced ESA specialists; attend tailored training courses; and will be offered access to state-of-the-art test facilities. ESA say only launch opportunities from the International Space Station (ISS) are envisioned, and CubeSat teams applying need to ensure that their mission complies with a deployment to orbit from the ISS. Further information at http://tinyurl.com/ANS043-UnivCubesats UK Space Agency https://twitter.com/spacegovuk [ANS thanks ESA via Southgate ARN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nayif-1 CubeSat Launch Announced AMSAT-UK and AMSAT-NL are delighted to now be able to confirm that the Nayif-1 1U CubeSat, which has a full FUNcube payload, is now scheduled for launch on an Indian PSLV launch vehicle at 03:58 UT on February 15, 2017. The flight, C-37, will be carry a total of 104 satellites into orbit. Nayif-1 has been developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS). The UAE’s first Nanosatellite was developed by Emirati engineering students from AUS under the supervision of a team of engineers and specialists from MBRSC within the framework of a partnership between the two entities, aiming to provide hands-on experience to engineering students on satellite manufacturing. The spacecraft includes a U/V linear transponder and telemetry transmitter. It employs enhanced oscillator circuitry and includes an active attitude determination and control system. As with previous missions carrying FUNcube payloads, AMSAT-UK would very much like to receive as many reports from stations around the world, especially during the first few minutes and hours after launch. We expect that the first signals may be heard in North America during the mid evening hours (local time) on Feb 14. There is a mission specific Telemetry Dashboard for this project and this can be downloaded from: http://download.funcube.org.uk/Nayif-1_Dashboard_1038_installer.msi and, in a similar way to the FUNcube-1 Dashboard, this will be capable of uploading the telemetry received to a central Data Warehouse. Guidance Notes for the installation of the Dashboard, integration with a FUNcube Dongle and the Data Warehouse have been prepared for the Nayif-1 mission. These can be downloaded from: http://tinyurl.com/ANS043-Nayif-1-Dashboard A file to test that the Dashboard and Warehouse configuration are working correctly can be downloaded from: http://download.funcube.org.uk/nayif1_testfile.funcubebin The operating frequencies for the spacecraft will be: Telemetry 145.940 MHz using 1k2 BPSK to the FUNcube standard. SSB/CW Transponder Uplink on 435.045 – 435.015 MHz Downlink on 145.960 – 145.990 MHz Initial operations of the spacecraft will be in a low power “safe” mode where only the telemetry transmitter is activated. More details about the launch, exact deployment time and pre-launch TLE’s will be made available as soon as they become available; in the meantime we will really appreciate your support! [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Nayif-1 UPDATE Pre-launch Keps and more details The launch time for the Nayif-1 CubeSat has been confirmed as 03:58UTC on February 15th 2017 on the PSLV C37 vehicle and a set of pre-launch TLEs have now been released: NAYIF 1 17002U 17002A 17046.17824931 0.00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9993 2 17002 97.5521 107.5843 0004848 278.6481 296.8511 15.21991390 01 This file can also been downloaded from here http://download.funcube.org.uk/nayif_tle.txt We expect that the FUNcube transmitter on Nayif-1 will activate at approximately 05:06UTC, but the exact timing is still to be confirmed! Initial transmissions will be in “safe” mode and will be of the 1k2 BPSK telemetry only with approx 50mW of RF power. If the predictions are correct, the spacecraft will be heading north over Mexico and the western parts of the US and Canada. During the Launch and Early Operation phase (LEOP) of the mission, the Nayif-1 command team will be headquartered at the American University of Sharjah Ground station in the United Arab Emirates. They will obviously be especially keen to have all possible reports of signal reception during this first orbit! To encourage everyone to take part, there will be a small prize for the station that submits the first data to the Nayif-1 Data Warehouse and perhaps an extra reward if they manage to receive the very first frame transmitted by the spacecraft! This should have the sequence number 5471 or 5472. Details of the Nayif-1 frequencies, together with details of how to the download the Dashboard can be found here https://funcube.org.uk/2017/02/08/nayif-1-launch-date-now-confirmed/ The Data Warehouse is still under final development but a preview can be seen here: http://data.amsat-uk.org/nayif1/index Please note that if you are already a registered user of the FUNcube Dashboard then you do not need to re-register. Your existing details will transfer automatically to the new Dashboard when you run it for the first time. If you run the test file with the Nayif-1 Dashboard please do not expect the Warehouse to show the data - it is from an earlier date than that is already displayed. However the “packets uploaded” tab at the bottom right corner of your Dashboard will show that the files have uploaded OK, that all is well with your system and that it is ready for action. We are hoping that the actual launch will be webstreamed and details of this will be made available as soon as possible. The AMSAT-UK and -NL team will also be using the #funcube IRC channel on launch day and you will be very welcome to join them there. If you do not have the Dashboard available then please submit your heard reports here. A web client can be found at http://irc.lc/freenode/funcube if you do not have an IRC client installed. [ANS thanks Graham G3VZV for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- UT1FG/MM QSL Procedure for this season As you may know Yuri, UT1FG, prefers to do his own QSLs to the extent possible. He has asked me to help funnel QSL requests to him while he is at sea so that he can process them and mail them from ports as he travels. Yuri does not process qsl requests when he is not on a ship. The following procedure only applies to contacts made during this season from the M/V Chestnut. Previous seasons will be handled by his manager Eugene, UX0FY. Eugene has all the logs for previous seasons and can be contacted through his qrz.com email address. Please contact Eugene before sending anything in the mail to him and ask for instructions on how to proceed. You may prepare a logsheet of QSO's that Yuri can print, verify, sign and mail from one of his destination ports. An example of a suitable logsheet can be found at papays.com/sat under the UT1FG/MM QSL Instructions link at the top of the page. Please use the following conventions when preparing the logsheet: 1. List only one contact per grid. 2. Only request confirmations of NEW Grids. 3. Use Excel or a similar program to create the logsheet. 4. Save the Logsheet to a .pdf If your program cannot save to a .pdf, download a free program like Bullzip that will install a .pdf printer that you can print to and create a .pdf file. 5. Each page should stand alone; there should be a place for Yuri's signature on each page. 6. Incude your COMPLETE Mailing Address on each page. 7. Name the logsheet file with this format: Yourcall_UT1FG_DateLastQSO for example: DJ8MS_UT1FG_10Feb2017.pdf 8. Email your file as an attachment to: k8yse at papays.com with the subject line the same as the .pdf file name: DJ8MS_UT1FG_10Feb2017 10. Please be sure to follow the example on the website papays.com/sat/ut1fgqsl.html Consistency will help Yuri process requests more efficiently. 11. If there are qso's on your list that are not in the log, Yuri will draw a line through them and initial. I will send an acknowledgement email when I receive a request. This way you will know that Yuri will have your logsheet. If Yuri tells me that he has mailed your logsheet, I will post that information on the bulletin boards. Yuri's time when nearing or in port is very limited. He has a lot of responsibilities to carry out and large amounts of paper to process along with requests from his Company. He has more time when he is sailing. Let that guide you when deciding when you email your requests. A good time to mail your request is when Yuri is about 5 days from making port. Follow him at marinetraffic.com (M/V Chestnut - bulk Cargo). This new procedure may be changed or stopped depending on how it goes. Hopefully this will work well and Yuri will find it acceptable. We are very fortunate that Yuri operates from so many water grids that otherwise would never be on the satellites. His passion for satellites is amazing. Have fun working him. [ANS thanks John K8YSE for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Live HAMTV Video Planned for ARISS Contact The HAMTV experiment is planned transmit live video during the ARISS contact with Collège André Malraux, Chatelaillon-Plage, France on Mon 2017-02-13 14:00:35 UTC. The HAMTV video downlink is on 2395 MHz (DVB-S,SR2000,fec 1/2, PID video 256, PID audio 257, Mp eg2 codec). Audio will be on 70cm. The video will be streamed on-line at: https://hamtv.batc.tv/live/ Additional streaming from other ground stations will be at: http://www.batc.tv/iss/ [ANS thanks Jean-Pierre, F6DZP and the HAMTV yahoogroups e-mail list for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS News + A Successful contact was made between Space Exploration Educators Conference, Houston, Texas, and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Thu 2017-02-09 20:30:10 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was Telebridge via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was Frank KA3HDO. + A Successful contact was made between Palmetto Scholars Academy, North Charleston, SC, USA and Astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began Fri 2017-02-10 17:59:18 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via K4PSA. ARISS Mentor was John K4SQC. Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule Collège André Malraux, Chatelaillon-Plage, France, direct via F4KJT The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be FXØISS The scheduled astronaut is Thomas Pesquet KG5FYG Contact is a go for: Mon 2017-02-13 14:00:35 UTC 3rd Junior High School, Komotini, Greece, direct via SV7APQ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD Contact is a go for: Fri 2017-02-17 08:58:11 UTC [ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The Smallsat Launcher War "Over the last decade or so the definition of what a ‘small satellite’ is has ballooned beyond the original cubesat design specification to satellites of 50 or 100 kg. Today a ‘smallsat’ is defined far more around the cost, and sometimes the technologies used, than the size and shape of the box that goes into orbit." Read the full story at: http://hackaday.com/2017/02/09/the-smallsat-launcher-war/ [ANS thanks Hackaday.com for the above information and Bernhard VA6BMJ for bringing it to our attention] + NASA seeks partnerships with US companies to advance commercial space technologies NASA is seeking partnerships with U.S. companies focused on industry-developed space technologies that can advance the commercial space sector and benefit future NASA missions through the "Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity (ACO)" solicitation released by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). Read complete story at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS043-NASAPartners [ANS thanks spacedaily.com for the above information] + Smallsat Builders Admit a Little Bigger Might Be a Little Better "What’s the perfect size for a small satellite? “The answer is 42 kilograms,” said Martin Sweeting, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. founder and executive chairman, at the Small Satellite Symposium Feb. 7 and 8." See more at: http://tinyurl.com/ANS043-SmallSatBuilders [ANS thanks SpaceNews 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, AA8EM aa8em at amsat dot org

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