November 2022 - ANS - mailman.amsat.org

ANS-332 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin - GreenCube Designated Italy-OSCAR 117 (IO-117)
by Paul Stoetzer 28 Nov '22

28 Nov '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL BULLETIN ANS-332 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * GreenCube Designated Italy-OSCAR 117 (IO-117) SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-332.01 ANS-332 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin AMSAT News Service Bulletin 332.01 From AMSAT HQ WASHINGTON, DC DATE November 28, 2022 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-332.01 GreenCube Designated Italy-OSCAR 117 (IO-117) On July 13, 2022, the GreenCube satellite was launched on a Vega-C launch vehicle from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite project is managed by the S5Lab research team at Sapienza University of Rome, and involves ENEA (the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and University of Naples. The satellite carries environmental and thruster payloads and as well as a 70cm digipeater for amateur radio use. At the request of the GreenCube teams, AMSAT hereby designates the satellite as Italy-OSCAR 117 (IO-117). We congratulate all the involved teams, thank them for their contribution to the amateur satellite community, and wish them continued success on this and future projects. [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, OSCAR Number Administrator, for the above information] /EX In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. President's Club donations may be made at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-PresClub. 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space, This week's ANS Contributing Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-331 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for November 27, 2022
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 27 Nov '22

27 Nov '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-331 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, 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. You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * Apogee View * September/October 2022 AMSAT Journal Now Available * SatPC32ISS Updated for Better GREENCUBE Performance * FUNcube-1 (AO73) Now Celebrating Nine Years in Orbit * OMOTENASHI - Amateur Radio Mission to the Moon is Lost * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 24, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-331 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2022 Nov 27 Apogee View The AMSAT 40th Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting has come and gone. All I can say is WOW! It was nice to finally meet in person again, and the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington, Minnesota, located right between the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Mall of America was the perfect venue. Our Board of Directors met on Thursday, October 20th, and the first half of Friday, October 21st. It was a very informative and productive meeting. First, our engineering, operations, education, youth initiative, ANS, Journal, information technology, contest & awards, and web store teams provided updates on what they have been working on during the year, what they have accomplished, and what they are working on in the coming year. Then, as we moved to new business, our directors approved a new Reserve Policy and an Export Control and Economic Sanctions Policy, as well as discussed the use of the Fox Plus program as a test flight platform to quickly test newly developed satellite systems in space and the impact of the new FCC pronouncement on orbital debris mitigation. On Friday afternoon and Saturday, we were treated to some fantastic presentations: - Stefan Wagener, VE4SW, shared with us “Building a Portable Station for QO-100, the Geostationary Satellite Es'hail-2 Carrying Amateur Radio.” - Randy Berger, WA0D, ARISS Director of Engineering, provided us with an update on “What's New, ARISS on ISS and mission to the moon with Lunar Gateway." - Next, Heimir Thor Sverrisson, W1ANT, presented an interesting proposal on “OTA Software Update for LEO satellites," using multiple ground stations to reprogram or apply software updates in coordinated segments. - Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, then filled us in on the work being done at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Nick's first presentation covered the university's approach to its education initiative. The second presentation provided an update on their Cape IV mission. - Paul Graveline, K1YUB, updated us on AMSAT’s CubeSat Simulator program. - Kip Moravec, AE5IB, provided the current development status of AMSAT GOLF-TEE’s electrical power system. - Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, shared improvements made to AMSAT’s Linear Transponder Module (LTM) power amplifier and the upcoming use of it in the University of Maine’s MESAT-1 3U CubeSat mission. - Next up was a fascinating presentation by AMSAT’s Assistant V.P. of Engineering, Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, on his work, “Building a Helmholtz Cage for Dynamic Magnetic Field Generation and CubeSat Attitude Control Testing.” - An update on AMSAT’s reaction wheel assembly open project update, was presented by Zach Metzinger, N0ZGO, and Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY. - The AMSAT 40th Space Symposium culminated with an AMSAT Engineering Update, provided by Jerry Buxton, N0JY, V.P. of Engineering. You could tell our presenters put a lot of time and effort into preparing these, for which we are truly thankful. New FCC Ruling Presents a New Set of Challenges What goes up must come down, and that applies to satellites. Until now, all spacecraft had to either deorbit or move to a disposal orbit no later than 25 years after the end of their mission. With the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) new ruling, they must come down sooner. The FCC’s new orbital debris mitigation ruling, FCC 22-74, requires non-geostationary satellite operators that terminate satellite operations in or passing through the low Earth orbit region (below 2,000-kilometer altitude) complete disposal as soon as practicable following the end of mission, and no later than five years after the end of its primary mission. The goal is to minimize the risk of collisions that would create debris. The FCC defines “end of mission” to be "the time at which the individual spacecraft is no longer capable of conducting collision avoidance maneuvers," and, for spacecraft without collision avoidance capabilities, end of mission is defined as the point at which the individual spacecraft has completed its primary mission. Furthermore, the FCC requires a demonstration that the probability of success of the chosen disposal method will be 90 percent or greater. This new rule-making will have a significant effect on AMSAT’s future satellite operations and, as such, was a serious topic of discussion at our recent board of directors meeting. That discussion generated many questions. - What does the FCC mean by disposal demonstration, and what constitutes a 90 percent or greater probability rate? - What are licensable disposal methods, other than through natural decay? - Will the FCC accept the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) orbit analysis report for naturally decaying orbits to meet the probability threshold? Unfortunately, the FCC did not supply much implementation guidance in meeting these new requirements, so our next step will be to reach out to the FCC to define our requirements better and how we can meet those standards. We will keep you informed. Export Control and Economic Sanctions Policy One of the most exciting things to come out of this year’s AMSAT Symposium, at least to me, was our Export Control and Economic Sanctions Policy approved by our Board of Directors. Some of AMSAT’s greatest achievements have come from working with our international AMSAT partners. Unfortunately, changes in International Traffic in Arms Regulations(ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the enforcement thereof caused a self-imposed limit to our international participation. The desire to return to the international development of satellites and related systems served as the impetus for our new policy. This policy states, “The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) will comply with all U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations.” While this, in and of itself, is no different than how we have been operating, specific provisions of the policy create an essential path to our return to international cooperation through the use of the public domain (ITAR) and publicly available (EAR) exclusions. It is important to note that ITAR and EAR exclusions only apply to information related to the development of our satellites but not to the actual building of satellites. Exporting materials to non-U.S. persons, be it hardware or software, will still require an export license. On the other hand, importing materials to the U.S. is not restricted by ITAR or EAR. Creating this policy was only the first step. We still need to develop and put in place the prescribed controls to ensure our compliance and establish a training program for our volunteers, all of which we hope to have accomplished in the next couple of months. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead with being able to collaborate with our fellow AMSAT organizations around the world once again. Please read our new Export Control and Economic Sanctions Policy, available on our website, along with our other organizational documents, policies, and financial disclosures, at www.amsat.org/about-amsat/. This is your organization, and together, we can accomplish great things. Until the next time, Onward & Upward! [ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Only a Small Handful of 2022 Coins are left! Don't Miss Out! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ September/October 2022 AMSAT Journal Now Available The AMSAT Journal is AMSAT's bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts. Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. The September/October 2022 issue, just released includes the following top articles: - Educational Relations Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - Education and CubeSat Simulator Project Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - President's Club 2022 Members - SatNOGS Ground Station at the School of Telematics - Omar Álvarez-Cárdenas, XE1AO, et al. - Tips for Starting ISS Satellite Operations - Shavrika Pendyala, KQ4CUS - A Helmholtz Cage: Developing a "Time Machine" - Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY - Expediting the Deorbit of CubeSats - Bob Stricklin, N5BRG - AMSAT-NA 40th Annual Space Symposium and Annual Meeting Photos Members can access the latest issue of The AMSAT Journal as well as archived editions (going back to 2014) on the membership portal. Not an AMSAT member yet? Join AMSAT today to start receiving your bi-monthly issue of The AMSAT Journal at https://launch.amsat.org/. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- SatPC32ISS Updated for Better GREENCUBE Performance Erich Eichmann, DK1TB, has uploaded a revised SatPC32ISS.exe, which hopefully fixes the SatPC32ISS problems with GREENCUBE such as frequency drift etc. Also, the update now supports USB-D/LSB-D. Erich says, "Simply copy the file into the SatPC32 program folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\SatPC32). Because of the different name, it will not overwrite your current SatPC32ISS. Start the program with the Windows Explorer. It will switch the radio into SPLIT mode (unless the radio is already in Satellite mode). In menu CAT specify the CAT interval and save the change (the file does no longer share its CAT interval with the FM interval of the normal SatPC32 as it did previously). Don't set the interval too low! "In Non-Satellite mode the radios (at least most as far as I know) go mute for the fraction of a second, when the frequencies are updated via CAT command. SatPC32ISS has to do that for Doppler correction. That can cause data losses, if packet data is received at that time. The pre-set 50 Hz interval seems to be a good value. "The new file supports also FM-D. The entry in Doppler.SQF has to be FMD, the entries for USB-D an LSB-D) have to be USB-D and LSB-D. If everything works, I will upload new setup files." The file can be downloaded at www.dk1tb.de/SatPC32ISS_2.exe, or as zip file at www.dk1tb.de/SatPC32ISS_2.zip. [ANS thanks Erich Eichmann, DK1TB for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNcube-1 (AO73) Now celebrating nine years in orbit! Another year has passed and FUNcube 1 has continued to operate from its orbit around 600km above the earth. To start with some statistics. The spacecraft creates and downlinks data in frames that run for two minute periods. It has now transmitted more that 16 million of these frames or “Sequence Numbers”. Another big statistic is that more than 10 million data packets have been received by stations that have forwarded them to FUNcube Data Warehouse. You can see the leading ground stations at http://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/ui/fc1-fm/satellite_ranking – special congratulations to those at the top scorers…many of them have individually forwarded more than 1 million packets. Thanks to all contributors around the world. Having this network of ground stations has enabled the FUNcube team to easily monitor the status of the spacecraft easily. Back here on earth, as mentioned, AMSAT-UK has continued to monitor the health of the spacecraft as these illumination levels and spin/tumble rates have changed over the months. After some time in full sun, the spacecraft is now experiencing “normal” eclipse periods of around 25 minutes each orbit. This will reduce the on board temperatures and may influence the tumble rate which has been between 2 and 5 seconds for some time. This is quite fast and is not helping telemetry reception with its 5 second data frame mentioned above. The present operational schedule is for high power telemetry when in sunlight and receive only when in eclipse. This seems to suit the EPS quite well and the battery bus voltages have been quite stable. At least that was correct until early morning on Friday November 11 when the indicated bus voltage appeared to “drop off a cliff” over the period of just four orbits. Further analysis showed that the 3.3V bus consumption had suddenly jumped four times normal. As can be seen by the graph above this problem then disappeared just as suddenly and the bus voltage recovered quite quickly. Investigations are continuing! Please keep the telemetry reports coming in and let the FUNcube team know if you would like a Fitter message uploaded for any educational or outreach events. [ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ OMOTENASHI - Amateur Radio Mission to the Moon is Lost OMOTENASHI, a project of the JAXA Ham Radio Club, was a secondary payload aboard NASA's Artemis 1 mission, launched on November 16. It was planned to land on the surface of the moon, and to transmit a beacon in the amateur 70cm band. Unfortunately, controllers were unable to receive radio communication from OMOTENASHI as of November 21, 2022. Thus, the lunar landing experiment could not be carried out. Engineers will investigate the cause of the incident and proceed with the future possible operation plans while consulting with mission managers. JAXA Ham Radio Club reports, "We were very encouraged by the warm support we received as a team. It's such a shame that it can't live up to expectations. Although we were not able to land on the moon, the opportunity to travel beyond the moon is valuable, so we would like to continue working on recovery and realize some of our mission." Amateurs wanting to continue listening for the orbiting module downlink should use the following information. Frequency: 437.31 MHz Antenna: SRR antenna Polarization: Linear Modulation: beacon, PSK31 Sync Word C1 (ASCII code) Power: 30dBm Project updates are periodically posted at https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html. [ANS thanks the JAXA Ham Radio Club and paralink.com for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 24, 2022 The following satellite has decayed from orbit and has been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE distribution: Lightsail-2 NORAD Cat ID 44420 (decayed from orbit on 11/19/22 per Space-Track). [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. + Upcoming Contacts West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School, North Bay, ON, Canada, telebridge via ON4ISS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD. The scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata, KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Monday, November 28, 2022 at 15:58:45 UTC. Escola Naval (Brazil Navy Academy), Ilha de Villegagnon - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, direct via PY1AX. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Monday, November 28, 2022 at 12:23:41 UTC. Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Monday, November 28, 2022 at 08:20 UTC. School TBD, Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 14:25 UTC. School TBD, Kaliningrad, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 16:00 UTC. School TBD, Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 08:20 UTC. School TBD, Vologda, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 08:20 UTC. School TBD, Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RS0ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Dimitri Petelin. Contact is go for Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 11:20 UTC. + Completed Contacts All-Russian Youth Space Festival "Vostochny Cosmofest", Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via RK0J. The ISS callsign was RS0ISS. The crewmember was Dimitri Petelin. Contact was successful on Friday November 18, 2022 at 11:32 UTC. Ural State University of Railway Engineering, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via RK9C. The ISS callsign was RS0ISS. The crewmember was Sergey Prokopyev. Contact was successful Monday, November 21, 2022 at 15:20 UTC. St. Joseph´s Convent Secondary School, Castries, St Lucia, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 17:40:36 UTC. Five Bridges Junior High School, Stillwater Lake, NS, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact was successful on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 16:52:06 UTC. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations + No operations listed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. + No events listed. + Think a 90-minute lively, informative, and fun "How to Work the Easy Satellites" Zoom presentation would be appropriate for your convention or club? Always included are overviews of the ARRL, AMSAT, and ARISS. And pre-presentation questions are welcome. Send an email or call to: Clint Bradford K6LCS AMSAT Ambassador; ARRL instructor, Affiliated Club Coordinator http://www.work-sat.com 909-999-SATS (7287) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The newly renovated west wing of the National Air and Space Museum at the downtown Mall recently opened to the public. The new "One World Connected" exhibit shows how aviation and spaceflight transformed how Earth came to be viewed and understood as an interconnected world. "One World Connected" tells the story of how taking to the skies and stars fostered two momentous changes in everyday life: the ease in making connections across vast distances and a new perspective of Earth as humanity’s home. Featuring an array of satellites and other tools that have increased human connection, the exhibition asks visitors to consider how global interconnection touches their lives and to imagine how advances in technology might impact our near-future. Scale models of OSCAR 1 and MICROSAT are on display in the exhibit. Read more at: https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/one-world-connected:event-exhib-6304. [ANS thanks Perry Klein, W3PK, for the above information.] + Want to see the 2022 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings? No need to purchase them at the AMSAT Store if you're an AMSAT member! AMSAT members have free access to all Symposium proceedings going back to 1986. Simply log into the member portal at https://launch.amsat.org/ then click on the "Member Resources" tab. While you're there, download the 2022 Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide - also free to AMSAT members! [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] + NASA and the Government of Japan on Thursday announced further contributions by Japan to Gateway, a key component of the agency’s Artemis missions for long-term lunar exploration. In addition to the Gateway arrangement, Minister Nagaoka announced Japan’s commitment to participate in the International Space Station Program through 2030, the first international partner to join the United States in formally committing to space station operations through 2030. NASA welcomed Japan’s announcement of its continuation of space station operations through 2030. NASA and its international partners conduct critical science, research, and technology demonstrations aboard the orbiting laboratory that make long-duration missions to the Gateway and the Moon possible. Read the full story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-331-JAXA. [ANS thanks SpaceRef.com for the above information.] + During September 26 - 30 GNU Radio Conference 2022 was held in Washington DC. GNU Radio Conference (aka GRCon) is an annual conference centered around the GNU Radio Project and community, and is one of the premier software defined radio industry events. GNU Radio is an open source digital signals processing (DSP) tool which is used often with SDRs. A few days ago videos of all the presentations were released on their YouTube channels. The videos contain a mix of in person and remote talks. A schedule of all talks can be found on the GNU Radio website, https://events.gnuradio.org/event/8/timetable/#20210920 [ANS thanks RTL-SDR.com for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW n1uw at amsat dot org

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ANS-324 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 20
by Mark Johns, K0JM 20 Nov '22

20 Nov '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-324 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, 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 You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * OMOTENASHI is Struggling to Carry Amateur Radio to the Moon * Amateur Radio Operators and More Will Track NASA's Artemis 1 * New Groundstation Software Available for GreenCube * Release Date of CAS-10/XW-4 * U.S. High School CubeSat to be APRS Relay * CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the Moon * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-324 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2022 NOV 20 OMOTENASHI is Struggling to Carry Amateur Radio to the Moon OMOTENASHI, a project of the JAXA Ham Radio Club, was a secondary payload aboard NASA's Artemis 1 mission, launched on November 16. It plans to land on the surface of the moon, and to transmit a beacon in the amateur 70cm band. Controllers have reported OMOTENASHI is tumbling, making it difficult for the spacecraft to charge its batteries and communicate with the ground. Of the ten cubesats flown as secondary payloads, seven are operation, two have not been heard from, and OMOTENASHI is struggling. Controllers are continuing recovery attempts. OMOTENASHI is derived from Outstanding MOon exploration TEchnologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor. Omotenashi is also a Japanese word for hospitality. JAXA Ham Radio Club planned to utilize the flight demonstration opportunity of the OMOTENASHI mission to conduct the following amateur radio missions: (i) To conduct technological research with respect to receiving ultra-weak UHF signal from a space probe toward the moon (ii) To conduct an outreach activity providing amateur radio operators all over the world with an opportunity to try to receive signals from moon region. OMOTENASHI is a 6U-CubeSat with external dimensions of 239 x 366 x 113mm and an approximate mass of 14 kg. OMOTENASHI consists of three modules: orbiting module, retro motor module, and surface probe. During the moon transfer orbit, these modules are integrated. When OMOTENASHI arrives at the moon, the surface probe will be separated and conduct semi-hard landing. If control is regained, OMOTENASHI will be actively controlled by ultra-small attitude control system including star tracker, sun sensor, IMU, reaction wheel, and cold gas jet thruster. During the moon transfer orbit, OMOTENASHI may be spin-stabilized due to the strict resources. For further details, please see: https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html There will be UHF CM/PSK/PM/PSK31 beacons, with 1 watt RF, on both the orbiting module and the surface probe. CisLunar explorer, MIT KitCube and Lunar IceCube are expected to share the same launch. Orbiting Module DOWNLINK Frequency: 437.31 MHz Antenna: SRR antenna Polarization: Linear Modulation: beacon, PSK31 Sync Word C1 (ASCII code) Power: 30dBm Surface Probe DOWNLINK Frequency: 437.41 MHz Antenna: invert-F antennax4 Polarization: LHCP(, RHCP) Modulation: FM, PSK31, PCM-PSK/PM Sync Word C1 (ASCII code) Power: 30dBm JAXA Ham Radio Club had announced prior to launch that amateurs can constantly access the newest TLE from https://bit.ly/3wyopTr This file is to be overwritten when the next TLEs are calculated. However, the site appears to still display pre-launch keps at this time. The JAXA Club posts updates at https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/omotenashi/JHRCweb/jhrc.html [ANS thanks JAXA Ham Radio Club and parabolicarc.com for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Amateur Radio Operators and More Will Track NASA's Artemis 1 Amateur radio operators will join a powerful international network tracking NASA's Orion spacecraft. NASA officials announced that a network of 18 volunteers, organizations and space agencies will assist with tracking Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to orbit around the moon after blasting off from Earth atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Launch occurred on Nov. 16. The selected volunteers, including two individuals in the amateur radio community, will "demonstrate whether they can receive Orion's signal, and use their respective ground antennas to passively track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion," NASA officials said in a statement Oct. 31. NASA collected the proposals in a Request for Information released in August. Data the participants pick up will be sent to the agency's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. The goal is to improve tracking information for future deep-space missions, NASA officials stated. NASA, of course, will also gather its own tracking data on Orion. Selected volunteers from the amateur radio community include: Non-profit: CAMRAS, Netherlands Academic institutions: Space Systems Design Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, U.S. Private citizens: Scott Chapman, K4KDR (U.S.) and Scott Tilley, VE7TIL (Canada) [ANS thanks space.com for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- New Groundstation Software Available for GreenCube As of Nov. 18, a total of 135 stations digipeated via the Italian GreenCube satellite. These stations represent 31 DXCC entities. Stations now report using various combinations of software to operated through the satellite. One constant is using SatPC32ISS for antenna tracking and doppler correction. The S5Lab GreenCube team software is a bit more complicated and at the beginning that was all that was available. It used three programs, including GNURadio, GreenCubeTNC and GreenCubeDigi. However, UZ7HO quickly created the digi app and custom soundmodem after the S5Lab release, most everyone has migrated to UZ7HO now. Note: UZ7HO has updated the program from time to time, so download it again once in a while to get the updates. It is available at: https://uz7.ho.ua/greentnc.zip (There are both FM and SSB soundmodems included in the package, but the FM one can ignored, as all are using USB-D for both uplink and downlink.) Note matching the rig bandpass filter with the Soundmodem one (900-2100 Hz) helps to have a better S/N particularly if you have local QRM. The radio will interface with soundmodem via a soundcard or virtual audio cable. Soundmodem.exe is located in the \greentnc\usb directory, and is a separate program. This program needs to be configured to connect with your radio’s audio interface. The digipeater software is in the client directory, called GreenCubeDigi.exe. GreenCubeDigi automatically connects to soundmodem via TCP. So you should have two programs running, one the TNC and the other the digi “terminal.” Ops may add GetKISS+ software, by Mike Rupprecht, DK3WN, in order to upload received packets to SatNOGS. This isn’t necessary, but it does help add coverage for telemetry. This software is a bit tricky to get working, but once you have one of Mike’s programs running other programs will work without any issues. Mike’s software can be found here: https://www.satblog.info/software/ Doug Papay, K8DP, recommends installing GetKISS+ v1.4.1 (he could not get v1.4.2 to work). It requires VB6 runtime, which should already be installed, and the ActiveX OCX controls need to be registered. See: https://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/decoding/tlm-decoding-software/dk3wn/ for instructions on how to do this. Make sure to run the command prompt as Administrator when performing the regsrv32.exe commands. Also, do not delete or move the OCX files after registering them. (The OCX files should be placed in C:\Libraries\OCX folder) Mike also has a GreenCube Telemetry Decoder that you can download—it is a nice program that graphically displays the telemetry. He has also added a digipeater message display and list of unique callsigns heard—a nice feature. The config.ini files will need to be updated to reflect your station details. These files are located in the folder where you keep GetKISS+ and GreenCube Telemetry Decoder. GetKISS+ and GreenCube Telemetry Decoder connect via TCP to the soundmodem all using the same IP (localhost) and port number. Some have been confused by the lack of an ACK message after transmitting a packet to the satellite. It is sent only if the Tx delay is used. However, it is better to use Tx delay 0 for real-time QSOs to avoid unnecessary transmission by the bird (saving on-board power). With Tx delay 0 you will receive your own message as an acknowledgement. [ANS thanks Doup Papay, K8DP, and Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Release Date of CAS-10/XW-4 AMSAT-China, or CAMSAT, http://www.camsat.cn, has announced December 18 as the release date for CAS-10/XW-4. Photos of this satellite may be seen at: https://twitter.com/bd5rv/status/1592978613204586496 and https://twitter.com/bd5rv/status/1593693879798497285 As previously reported by ANS, CAMSAT’s CAS-10/XW-4 satellite was launched on November 12, 2022, carried on the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft to the Chinese Space Station. The satellite will be active immediately upon deployment into its own 400 km orbit with an inclination of 42.9 degrees. CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for GMSK telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated. [ANS thanks Michael Chen, BD5RV/4, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. High School CubeSat to be APRS Relay TJREVERB, a 2U CubeSat built by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, has been frequency coordinated to operate as an APRS relay on 145.825 MHz. It is scheduled for launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft set to deliver additional science, crew supplies, and hardware to the International Space Station next week. The satellite will be released from ISS at a later time. The first U.S. high school to send a CubeSat to space back in 2013, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s Research and Education Vehicle for Evaluating Radio Broadcasts satellite aims to study the use of iridium as a primary radio communication method. Additionally, the satellite will demonstrate using a passive magnet onboard and the Earth’s magnetic field for stabilization rather than using an attitude determination and control system for pointing accuracy and stabilization for iridium. What makes this satellite even more notable is that it was a system’s engineering project. The students selected space-grade parts, wired the electronics for the satellite, wrote the drivers to control the different systems, and coded the flight software. “What’s special about TJREVERB isn’t necessarily the mission, it’s what we did. These kids literally built a satellite the way the industry would build a satellite; we selected parts from vendors and got those parts to work together,” said Kristen Kucko, robotics lab director and the school’s space faculty advisor. “This is an engineering feat.” [ANS thanks NASA Blogs and IARU for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the Moon The CAPSTONE mission operations team confirmed that NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft arrived at its orbit at the Moon Sunday evening. The CubeSat completed an initial orbit insertion maneuver, firing its thrusters to put the spacecraft into orbit, at 12:39 UTC on Nov. 13. CAPSTONE is now in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. This particular NRHO is the same orbit that will be used by Gateway, the Moon-orbiting space station that will support NASA’s Artemis missions. CAPSTONE is the first spacecraft to fly an NRHO, and the first CubeSat to operate at the Moon. In the next five days, CAPSTONE will perform two additional clean-up maneuvers to refine its orbit. After these maneuvers, the team will review data to confirm that CAPSTONE remains on track in the NRHO. CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – is a precursor to the Gateway project to establish a crewed space station in orbit around the moon. AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ No changes for this week. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-21 15:20 UTC St. Joseph´s Convent Secondary School, Castries, St Lucia, multi-point telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Tue 2022-11-22 17:40:36 UTC 42 degrees maximum elevation. Watch for Livestream at: https://www.ariotti.com/ Five Bridges Junior High School, Stillwater Lake, NS, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Contact is go for: Wed 2022-11-23 16:52:06 UTC 58 degrees. Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/c/ARISSlive and https://nslive.tv/five-bridges-ariss and https://www.ariotti.com/ Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev. Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-28 08:20 UTC School TBD, Saint Petersburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wed 2022-11-30 14:25 UTC. School TBD, Kaliningrad, Russia, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Wed 2022-11-30 16:00 UTC School TBD, Aznakayevo, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2022-12-01 08:20 UTC. School TBD, Vologda, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The scheduled crewmember is Anna Kikina. Contact is go for Thu 2022-12-01 08:20 UTC The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations KX9X Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the @arrl Phone Sweeptakes. He’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but he will hand out the grid. KC1MEB: Rove trip vacation style. FN53 Nov. 18 into 19, FN56 Nov. 19 into 20, FN57 Nov. 20 through 22. W7WGC Snow-bird rove from 11-02-2022 thru 11-22-2022-ish. In travel order: Oregon grids: CN82 and DN02 Nevada grids: DN01, DN10, DN21, DN20, DM29 & 19, DM28 & 18, DM27, DM26. Arizona grids: DM36, DM46, DM45, DM35, DM44, DM34, DM33, DM32. Email (QRZ) with desired grid in subject line for updates. Wayne – W7WGC [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. None currently scheduled. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + The latest episode of the ARRL On the Air podcast features details from avid satellite operator Sean Kutzko, KX9X, about how to get started on the amateur satellites -- an activity that's available to hams of all license classes. Sean's article, "Ham Radio Satellites: Reliable, Accessible, and Enjoyable" is also the cover piece of the November/December issue of ARRL's "On the Air" magazine. (ANS thanks ARRL Letter for the above information) + A cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Nov. 9, despite making its two-day trek through space with only one functioning solar panel. The Cygnus spacecraft, which was carrying 8,200 pounds of science experiments and supplies for the astronauts on board the ISS, lifted off from NASA’s launch site in Wallops Island, Virginia, atop an Antares rocket on Nov. 7. A few hours after Cygnus reached orbit, one of the spacecraft’s two solar arrays failed to deploy, NASA announced. NASA and Northrop Grumman, which designed and built the Cygnus capsule, opted to abandon efforts to open the array in order to focus on carrying out a safe rendezvous with the ISS, noting that the spacecraft already had sufficient power to finish its journey. (ANS thanks CNN Space & Science for the above information) + SpaceX launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket boosters for the last time Saturday on a rare expendable mission for Intelsat, devoting all of the launcher’s propellant toward placing a pair of television broadcasting satellites into orbit. Intelsat says it paid SpaceX an additional fee for the expendable mission. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:06 a.m. EST (1606 GMT) Saturday after a four-day delay caused by Hurricane Nicole. The booster debuted March 2, 2019, with the first unpiloted test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. The booster was not fitted with SpaceX’s recovery hardware, such as titanium grid fins or landing legs. And SpaceX did not deploy one of its drone ships for the expendable mission. (ANS thanks SpaceflightNow for the above information) + AROW, the Artemis Real-Time Orbit Website, is a fun, interactive display of the Orion capsule and the Artemis 1 mission is provided by NASA at: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/trackartemis/ (ANS thanks NASA for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, K0JM k0jm at amsat dot org

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ANS-317 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 13 Nov '22

13 Nov '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-317 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, 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 You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station * Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA * Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over ANS-317 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2022 Nov 13 CAS-10 Launched to Chinese Space Station CAMSAT's CAS-10 (XW-4) satellite was launched on November 12, 2022, carried on the Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft to the Chinese Space Station. Deployment from the Chinese Space Station is expected on or about December 15th. The satellite will be active immediately upon deployment into its own 400 km orbit with an inclination of 42.9 degrees. CAS 10 is an 8U CubeSat approx 228x455x100mm with 12kg Mass. A follow on mission from CAS-9 and also known as Hope-4 (XW-4) Carrying a V/U Mode Linear Transponder, a UHF – CW Telemetry Beacon, a UHF – AX.25 4.8k/9.6kbps GMSK Telemetry downlink and a space camera. CAS-10 carries a VHF uplink and UHF downlink linear transponder with a bandwidth of 30kHz. This transponder will work all day during the life cycle of the satellite, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can use it for two-way radio relay communications. CAS-10 carries a camera, and the pictures it takes are stored in the flash memory on the satellite, we have designed a simple remote control system based on DTMF, and amateur radio enthusiasts around the globe can send DTMF commands to download the camera photos. CW beacon uses Morse code to send satellite telemetry data, which is also a feature that is widely welcomed by amateur radio enthusiasts. Downlink frequencies for VHF/UHF linear transponder 435.180 MHz, for UHF CW telemetry beacon 435.575 MHz and for telemetry 435.725 MHz. Also an uplink for the transponder 145.870 MHz have been coordinated. [ANS thanks Alan Kung, BA1DU, CAMSAT, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Astronaut Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, Retires from NASA NASA astronaut and former U.S. Air Force Col. Bob Behnken, KG5GGX, is retiring from NASA after 22 years of service. His last day with the agency was Friday, Nov. 11. Behnken’s career highlights included 93 days in space on two space shuttle Endeavour flights and the first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Behnken was pilot and joint operations commander for the first crewed flight test of the SpaceX Dragon. Known as Demo-2, that flight launched Behnken and former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley to the International Space Station May 30, 2020, and safely returned them to Earth Aug. 2, 2020. Behnken joined NASA at Johnson in July 2000 as an astronaut candidate. On his first spaceflight, in 2008, Behnken was a space shuttle Endeavour mission specialist for the STS-123 delivery of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency’s Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre) to the space station. Behnken performed three spacewalks, and operated station’s robotic arm both with and without Dextre attached. He flew again in 2010, as a mission specialist for STS‐130, which delivered the station’s Tranquility module and its cupola, the station’s seven-window Earth-facing observation post. He served as the mission’s lead spacewalker, performing three additional spacewalks to install the newly arrived module. Behnken completed 10 spacewalks across his three missions, spending more than 61 hours working in the vacuum of space. Behnken grew up in St. Ann, Missouri, and graduated from Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 1993, and a Doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1997. Behnken was commissioned via the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Before retiring from active military service in February 2022, Behnken had achieved the rank of colonel and flown more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 25 different types of aircraft. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to the AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 10, 2022 Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/ Due to the impending installation and activation of amateur radio equipment aboard the Chinese Space Station, as well as the deployment of CAS-10, the Chinese Space Station (NORAD ID 48274) has been added to the AMSAT TLE distribution as "CSS" [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS News Scheduled ARISS Contacts Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Prokopyev Contact is go for Mon 2022-11-21 15:20 UTC ARISS Radio Status Columbus Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Configured. Default mode set for cross band repeater (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). * Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC. * Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC. * Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28. * Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01. * Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05. * Capable of supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops. Service Module radios: IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS - Misconfigured. Default mode set for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) * Powered OFF for US and RS EVAs on November 15 and 17. OFF Nov. 14 about 18:00 UTC. ON Nov. 18 about 18:15 UTC. * Powered OFF for RS EVA on November 25. OFF Nov. 24 about 18:30 UTC. * Powered OFF for US EVA on November 28. * Powered OFF for US EVA on December 01. * Powered OFF for RS EVA on December 05. * Capable of supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts, packet, SSTV and voice repeater ops. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations KX9X: Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the ARRL Phone Sweeptakes. I’ll take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats aren’t the priority this trip but will hand out the grid. VE1CWJ/VP9: Planning “holiday style” LEO sats as VE1CWJ/VP9 from Nov 11-13. No set schedule, but evening RS-44 & FO-29 passes are most likely. QSL via LOTW. KC1MEB: Rove trip vacation style. FN53 Nov 18th into 19th, FN56 19th into 20th, FN57 20th through 22nd DK9JC: Passes on RS-44 for NA, Nov 18 Friday, 1841-1854Z 13min common FP #JN39EL pse no dupes and no EU weather depending, winter here [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, reports: "Had a magnificent time last night speaking with the RAGS - Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (NY). Great turnout … Zoom handled the show. They have been supporting their region very well since the mid-1050s. One aspect of AMSAT Ambassadors’ lives is talking to clubs and conventions. I have given my presentation more than 150 times now … Well, actually, that’s really 150+ unique presentations - NEVER have I given the same exact show twice. There’s about 25 “slides” that get customized to each audience - and they appreciate the fact that mine is not a “canned” presentation: "- I really enjoyed Clint’s presentation last night. The fact that he had taken the time to research and know something about his audience and welcomed interaction made it very informative and enjoyable. This was a refreshing change from many canned YouTube presentations I’ve tried to watch, which were poorly done, fuzzy video or muddy audio, or a badly prepared presenter stumbling his way through, with any valuable info lost along the way. Thanks for hooking this one up.” Think a 75-90-minute presentation on “Working the Easy Satellites” would be appropriate for YOUR club or convention? Let me know! Shows are scheduled for the PAPA System in Southern California, a group in Vancouver BC, and another East Coast club before Christmas." [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events page manager, for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Satellite Shorts From All Over + Curious about satellite operating? Check out Sean Kutzko, KX9X's interview with Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, for the ARRL On The Air Podcast, as they talk about satellite operating basics! https://blubrry.com/arrlontheair/91256162/operating-amateur-satellites/ + The Greencube digipeater has proven popular for long range QSOs given its MEO orbit at approximately 5,800 km. The digipeater will be reactivated at 00:01 UTC on November 16th. + FO-99's operation schedule for November is available at https://www.jamsat.or.jp/?p=2012 + An Atlas 5 successfully launched a polar-orbiting weather satellite and a reentry technology demonstrator on Nov. 10. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 2 satellite, deployed 28 minutes after liftoff, placing it into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 800 kilometers. The spacecraft made contact with controllers shortly after deployment. However, NASA reported nearly three hours after liftoff that they had yet to receive telemetry that the solar array deployed as planned. JPSS-2 is the second of four planned polar-orbiting weather satellites in the JPSS program to provide weather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A secondary payload on the launch was the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), a technology demonstration of an inflatable heat shield. NASA is interested in using that technology, scaled up, for landing future Mars missions. LOFTID separated from the Centaur 75 minutes after liftoff, after the upper stage performed two burns to place it on a reentry trajectory. The vehicle appeared to perform as expected through reentry, deploying a parachute and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii 2 hours and 13 minutes after liftoff. A recovery vessel picked up the spacecraft, as well as a separate data recorder ejected from LOFTID before splashdown. The launch was the 100th mission for NASA’s Launch Services Program, which coordinates launches for NASA science missions. It is also the final Atlas 5 launch for the program and the final Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg. ULA will convert the launch pad for use by Vulcan. (ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Paul Stoetzer, N8HM n8hm at amsat dot org

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ANS-310 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins for Nov. 6
by kd4iz＠frawg.org 06 Nov '22

06 Nov '22

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-310 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, 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 You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/ In this edition: * The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge * Falconsat-3 Status is altered due to battery issues * GreenCube Digipeater Successes Grow * VUCC Satellite Standing November 1, 2022 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2022 * Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events * Satellite Shorts From All Over DATE 2022 November 6 The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge AMSAT-UK and the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) announced a new amateur radio satellite service challenge, The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge, during the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in Milton Keynes, U.K. on October 8, 2022. The QO-100 AMSAT-UK/BATC North American Challenge will recognize the first amateur radio station to successfully achieve a two-way QSO via QO-100 narrow band transponder while operating from North America, the first amateur radio station to achieve 100 QSOs via QO-100 narrow band transponder while operating from North America, and the first amateur radio station to achieve a successful two-way DATV QSO via QO-100 wide band transponder while operating from North America. In addition, subsequent operations from North America will also be eligible to apply for a special certificate. The likely operating location from North America would be from St. Johns, Newfoundland, maidenhead grid square GN37qm (Lat/Long 47. 5204, -52.6262), which has a calculated viewing angle of -0.9 degrees elevation. Being below the horizon, it is expected that tropospheric ducting will be required for the first few miles, as demonstrated by Farid Farhan, YC1HVZ/P, during a recent QO-100 expedition in Indonesia, where he successfully operated through the QO-100 narrow band transponder from OI42de at -1.2 degrees elevation. Detail of test being planned, general questions, and claims for trophies and certificates should be submitted to awards(a)amsat-uk.org. Eshail-2 / AMSAT Phase 4-A / Qatar-OSCAR 100, a joint project by the Qatar Satellite Company (EshailSat), the Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) and AMSAT Deutschland (AMSAT-DL), is the first geostationary amateur radio transponder and links radio amateurs from Brazil to Thailand. Eshail-2/QO-100 carries two Phase 4 amateur radio transponders operating in the 2400 MHz and 10450 MHz bands. A 500 kHz bandwidth linear transponder intended for conventional analogue operations and an 8 MHz bandwidth transponder for experimental digital modulation schemes and DVB amateur television. Graham has set up a webpage on the AMSAT-UK website: https://bit.ly/3DR4qTU There is also a Youtube video on the AMSAT-UK channel: Direct link is https://bit.ly/3TUpXkv [ANS thanks Graham Shirville, G3VZV and Robert Bankston, KE4AL AMSAT President for the above information] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Falconsat-3 Status is altered due to battery issues Mark Hammond writes: "Telemetry suggests that one cell is very weak, therefore continuous 24/7/365 operations are no longer possible. In support of users around the world and the AMSAT PACSAT team (which is currently planning a PACSAT cubesat!), I will plan to try to run Falconsat-3 for about 24 hours each weekend, with specifics dependent upon the time of day it's overhead, work, and recreation! The orbit precesses about 30 mins every day, so the time of day for usable passes cycles. But basically a 24 hour uptime every weekend. There's a pass around 1222UTC today 29 Oct 202, and I'll turn it ON with battery management OFF, hoping for about 24 hours of operations. This will continue as long as we reasonably can. Reentry is estimated to be in April 2022. My best advice is to follow me on Twitter! It's easy to post when I turn it ON/OFF, so lately that's been my preferred method of sharing the information. Also, please update your keps at least once per week, maybe more often. It appears to change enough to warrant this for people using tracking/high gain directional antennas. Here is the TLE source I'm using now: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ftp/keps/current/daily.all Hope this schedule works for users and the PACSAT team! Scheduled operations seem lke the most beneficial plan for now." [ANS thanks Mark L. Hammond [N8MH], AMSAT Director and Assistant VP - Operations for the above information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------- +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The 2022 AMSAT President's Club coins have arrived! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its launch on October 15, 1972, this year's coin features an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 6. Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ GreenCube Digipeater Successes Grow Doug Papay, K8DP, and Scott Chapman, K4KDR were the first to make a complete contact through the GreenCube digipeater. Doug has be journalling the growing list of stations that have sucessfully digipeated a packet through the Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance Laboratory (S5Lab)/AMSAT-IT 3U research satellite. Doug posts on Twitter that Steve Greene, KS1G, has also completed a contact. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Yoshihisa Hattori, JO1LVZ, Juan Antonio Fernandez Montana, EA4CYQ, Nader Omer, ST2NH, Jose Elias Diaz Rodriguez, EB1AO, Davis Romero, EA4SG, and Jean Marc Momple, 3B8DU (added by editor) all were successfully digipeated by the MEO satellite. Congratulations to all and all that follow! More completed contacts will no doubt be reported soon. [ANS thanks AMSAT Doug Papay, K8DP for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows, and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ VUCC Satellite Standing November 01, 2022 VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 02, 2022 to November 01, 2022. ------------------------------------------------------------ XE2AT 946 1075 WD9EWK (DM43) 706 710 WA4HFN 631 636 EA2AA 594 611 F4BKV 500 600 KQ4DO 533 555 K5IX 501 525 HP2VX 464 476 PV8DX 428 439 KG0D New 415 N8MR 320 377 N8URE (FM19) 364 375 N5EKO 281 344 AB0XE 225 250 K3HPA 225 250 JK2XXK 200 233 WD9EWK (DM41) 207 225 KO9A 100 222 KP3V 139 202 WA8ZID 176 202 OE7BJT 150 200 IK7FMQ 156 190 KB3IAI 151 175 W8EH 101 168 HC2FG 150 154 NK0S 130 150 WD9EWK (DM62) 108 130 AD2DD New 125 K2MJP 101 125 AA9VI 100 122 KF2T 100 111 OZ9AAR New 100 ------------------------------------------------------------ Congratulations to the new VUCC holders. OZ9AAR is first VUCC Satellite holder from Denmark and 1st from JO45 73 Jon N7AZ [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, AMSAT VUCC Manager for the above information.] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ARISS NEWS Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide. Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, direct via TBD. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS. The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz. The scheduled crewmember is TBD. Contact is go for Sun 2022-11-20 TBD UTC The crossband repeater continues to be active. If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html [ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors and NASA News for the above information] +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an Amateur Radio package, including two-way communication capability, to be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit. Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/ +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Upcoming Satellite Operations Quick Hits: KX9X Will be in EM47 with Ward N0AX the weekend of November 19 for the @arrl Phone Sweeptakes. Ill take some satellite gear and do a few passes. Sats arent the priority this trip but will hand out the grid. Major Roves: Snow-bird rove from 11-02-2022 thru 11-22-2022-ish. Check Twitter for updates. In travel order: OR grids: CN82 and DN02 NV grids: DN01, DN10, DN21, DN20, DM29 & 19, DM28 & 18, DM27, DM26. AZ grids: DM36, DM46, DM45, DM35, DM44, DM34, DM33, DM32. Email (QRZ) with desired grid in subj. line for updates. Wayne W7WGC [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT rover page manager and AMSAT for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for November 3, 2022 None announced this week. [ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. None presently scheduled. [ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR, AMSAT Events Page Manager, for the above information] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Satellite Shorts From All Over + NASAs MOXIE experiment on Perseverance has now generated ISRU oxygen successfully during many different times of the Martian day and year (paper), producing about 6g of oxygen per hour (similar to the production rate of a medium-sized tree). NASA life support design requirements specify 35 g of oxygen per hour for astronauts. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.] + Under layers of dust, NASAs Mars InSight lander is fading, but the first and only seismometer on Mars had one parting gift for humanity: on May 4th, a magnitude 4.7 marsquake, one of the largest detected on the red planet. Related: In Issue 189 we talked about InSights detection of meteor impacts on Marsnow we have another one, a magnitude 4 marsquake last December turns out to have been due to a significant impact, now spotted by MRO, which excavated boulder-size chunks of ice buried closer to the Martian equator than ever found before. [ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/ In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to: * Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization). * 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. * Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms. Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Jack Spitznagel, KD4IZ kd4iz at arrl dot org

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