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ANS-315 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 09 Nov '24

09 Nov '24

*AMSAT *News Service*ANS-315* *November 10, 2024* In this edition: - Celebrating AO-7: First Earth-Space-Space-Earth Relay Communications - September/October 2024 Issue of *The AMSAT Journal* Available - 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available to AMSAT Members - ASRTU-1 Satellite With FM Transponder Launched - MO-122 Telemetry Beacon Level and Update - November 9, 2024 - ARISS SSTV Event - Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 8, 2024 - ARISS News - Upcoming Satellite Operations - AMSAT Ambassador Activities - Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 https://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/ ------------------------------ Celebrating AO-7: First Earth-Space-Space-Earth Relay Communications As AO-7, launched on November 15, 1974, approaches is 50th Anniversary and setting a record as the longest operating satellite, we look back at a few of its noteworthy accomplishments. The downlink spectrum of AO-7’s UHF/VHF transponder overlapped with AO-6’s VHF-to-HF transponder. The overlap of the two was approximately 50 kHz wide. The two orbits were the same - almost. AO-7’s mean motion was slightly higher than that of AO-6, which means, once every year of so, AO-6 will “lap” its younger sibling in space. During the time when the two spacecraft are in closer proximity, it was already known to be theoretically possible (if AO-7 has its UHF/VHF transponder on) for one user to communicate through two spacecraft in succession, with the downlink of AO-7’s transponder being relayed through AO-6’s VHF/HF transponder uplink, and then, with the doubly relayed signal arriving on 29.5 MHz to another user on the ground. This could be done, in certain geometries, in both directions, making a two-way double-hop communications possible. The first successful Earth-Space-Space-Earth relay of this type took place on January 6, 1975. This happened early in AO-7’s “first” lifetime and during the first occasion when AO-6 approached AO-7, in their very similar orbits. The two stations were both located in the state of Texas – one in Dallas and one in Richardson. This method of communications was also conducted and reported by 55 other user stations from 12 countries during 1975. These events were documented in the IEEE Proceedings in October of 1975. See another AO-7 50 Year Anniversary highlight in next week’s ANS Weekly Bulletin. *[ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT AO-7 Project Manager for the above information]* ------------------------------ September/October 2024 Issue of *The AMSAT Journal* Available The September/October 2024 issue of *The AMSAT Journal *is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal <https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal>. *The AMSAT Journal* is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation ( AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. *Inside the Current Issue:* - Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL - AMSAT Awards - Bruce Paige, KK5DO - The History of AMSAT AO-7 - Jan King, W3GEY - Long Range Modulation (LoRa) in Low Earth Satellites - Omar Álvarez Cárdenas, XE1AO, et al. - A Visit to the Tokyo Ham Fair 2024 - Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF - 2024 Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Photos *[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]* ------------------------------ 2024 AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Available to AMSAT Members The Proceedings of the AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium and Annual Meeting are now available for AMSAT members on the AMSAT Member Portal <https://launch.amsat.org/Proceedings>. In this year's edition: - Welcome - Robert Bankston, KE4AL - Silent Keys - The AMSAT CubeSatSim v2.0 Software Overview - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - AMSAT Education and CubeSat Simulator Project Update - Alan Johnston, KU2Y - Integration of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research - Rachel Jones, KO4HLC - ARISS Prototype: Automation and Remote Control (ARC) of the IORS - Chris Thompson, G0KLA / AC2CZ / VE2TCP - FUNcube Lite on Jovian-1, A 6U University CubeSat with an AMSAT-UK Payload - David Bowman G0MRF - CARD-SAT® - A Step Forward for Satellite Miniaturization - Adrian Totu, YO3HOT - GOLF-TEE Flight Software and Bus Overview - Burns Fisher, WB1FJ - Determination of Spacecraft Orbital Elements from In-flight GNSS Measurement - Joseph DiVerdi, K0NMR *[ANS thanks Dan Schultz, N8FGV, AMSAT Symposium Proceedings Editor, for the above information]* ------------------------------ *2024 Coins Are Still Available!Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.**Join <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT President’s Club today!* ------------------------------ ASRTU-1 Satellite With FM Transponder Launched On November 4, 2024 at 23:18 UTC, a Soyuz rocket launched from Vostochny with at least 17 satellites using amateur satellite service frequencies. Among those launched was ASRTU-1, a 12U CubeSat designed by Russian and Chinese students and developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, China, for education and amateur radio. The satellite contains an FM transponder, which is currently operational, with an uplink of 145.850 MHz (67 Hz CTCSS tone required) and a downlink of 435.400 MHz. After the repeater detects the end of uplink, it will wait for 0.5s. If no new uplink in 0.5s, telemetry will be sent. So make fast QSOs so the telemetry is less like to interrupt you. The satellite also contains two cameras with an SSDV downlink for low resolution images on 436.210 MHz, and a high speed downlink on 10460.00 MHz for high resolution images. On November 7, 2024, the camera system was tested for the first time. N6RFM uplinked the command and the image was downloaded by Chinese stations using the UHF SSDV downlink. Windows software for decoding telemetry is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W8nm-P0_h0J1Bd1eif74mLo-EuRdWcjH A Live ISO Linux image is also available for telemetry at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T6GMNnDNEEavckoe4oPXPIU_SPFXLDd4 A Telegram group has been created for discussing the satellite: https://t.me/+I5NTtX7eAJA4ZDVl Latest TLEs: ASRTU-1_20241108D 1 99130U 24313.98869213 .00036395 00000-0 15511-2 0 00005 2 99130 097.3830 178.7387 0016365 224.8894 196.6964 15.22873038000014 *ASRTU-1* Uplink FM (67 Hz CTCSS) Downlink FM Comments ASRTU-1 145.850 MHz 435.400 MHz In orbit, commissioning Also downlinks on 436.210 MHz, 10460.00 MHz. Download Live CD <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T6GMNnDNEEavckoe4oPXPIU_SPFXLDd4> for telemetry decoding. *[ANS thanks BG2BHC, the IARU, and AMSAT-F for the above information]* ------------------------------ MO-122 Telemetry Beacon Level and Update - November 9, 2024 Your continued collection of telemetry data for MO-122/MESAT1 is always appreciated. For the next couple of days the telemetry beacon on MO-122 will remain at its lowest power level. This puts the signal down a couple of dB, and it's noticeable from the ground. The low signal is a great opportunity to work on improving the sensitivity of our receiving stations! The transponder power remains the same--it's strong, thanks to AMSAT's LTM (Linear Transponder Module)! The satellite remains in good health. Since launch in early July, eclipse periods have increased a good deal, going from about 15 mins to nearly 29 mins. At the same time, the orbit has precessed so the bird appears over populated areas where the transponder gets more use while in eclipse. These conditions mean the battery is getting used more with less time to fully recharge. We keep a watchful eye on the battery and its reported capacity, and when there is an apparent decline it seems prudent to turn off the transponder for a couple of days to allow recovery. The low beacon for the next couple of days will allow us to see how much "relief" that gives to the power budget; it won't be much, but we can watch and learn. Managing a satellite's power budget is a balancing act of sorts. The good news is that by the end of February it looks like eclipse periods will drop back to around 17 mins. At the same time, the battery will be 4 months older--and have gone through a lot of orbits. Some fun math- from today until the end of February, there are 112 days. There are 1440 minutes per day, and MO-122 orbits about every 95 mins. 1440 min/day / 95 min/orbit is about 15 orbits per day. So, 15 orbits / day X 122 days means almost 1700 orbit and discharge/recharge cycles will occur before the end of February! Do that with your power drill battery pack ;) Hopefully my update will help provide an answer to the logical question, "why is the transponder being turned off and on?" As the guest payload on UMaine's satellite, we are doing our best to be good stewards of an important resource, while also learning about LTM, lithium batteries, and powerbudgets---all of which is helpful to our engineering teams as they work on new birds like Fox-Plus and the GOLF family. Enjoy the bird! *[ANS thanks Mark Hammond, N8MH, AMSAT Director and Command Station, for the above information]* ------------------------------ ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for November 11-18 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announces an SSTV event to be held next week. The event is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 11 at 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 at 13:40 UTC. SSTV transmissions will be paused during scheduled school contacts on November 15 and 16. Downlink transmissions will be at 145.800 MHz and the mode is expected to be PD 120. The transmissions will consist of 12 images featuring activities from the 2024 40th Anniversary Celebrating Amateur Radio in Human Spaceflight. If you are a past participant in our SSTV events, please note that we will be using our newly updated gallery at *https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ <https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/>* . ARISS has a new way to request a special certificate. When participants successfully receive at least one image and submit it at the new gallery, participants will be moved to a thank-you page. There, a person can read text about data protection, and press the button that says “I agree,” and receive an email in two weeks or sooner with a certificate. If a person submits additional images, the thank-you page tells them they have already asked for a certificate. Thanks to our user community for participating in ARISS. *[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, ARISS PR, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 8, 2024 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/ SR-0 Demosat NORAD Cat ID 60455 Decayed from orbit on or about 02 November 2024 Binar 4 NORAD Cat ID 60952 Decayed from orbit on or about 04 November 2024 SO-121 NORAD Cat ID 58567 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 November 2024 Binar 3 NORAD Cat ID 60957 Decayed from orbit on or about 05 November 2024 *[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]* ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the **AMSAT Store! <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/>**When you purchase through **AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards **Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.* ------------------------------ 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. *International Aerospace School named after U.N. Sultanov, Ufa, Russia, direct via RZ9WWB* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Fri 2024-11-01 21:08 UTC If anyone heard this contact, please let ARISS know. *Scuola Primaria “Bandello”, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Italy, telebridge via VK6MJ* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ Contact was successful: Thu 2024-11-07 07:56:25 UTC 25 deg Congratulations to the Scuola Primaria “Bandello” students, Sunita, mentor IZ2GOJ, and telebridge VK6MJ! *Bishop O'Connell HS, Arlington, VA, telebridge via VK4ISS* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Nick Hague The ARISS mentor is AA6TB Contact is go for: Fri 2024-11-15 18:06:21 UTC 46 deg *SWSU, Kursk, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Fri 2024-11-15 19:15 UTC *Cottam Scouts, Cottam, ON, Canada, telebridge via IK1SLD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is VE6JBJ Contact is go for: Sat 2024-11-16 18:17:04 UTC 53 deg *Aznakaevsky district resp. Tatarstan, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Ivan Vagner The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Tue 2024-11-19 16:05 UTC *Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity in the City of Pugachev, Saratov Region, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Aleksey Ovchinin The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Wed 2024-11-20 15:15 UTC *Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Alex Gorbunov The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Thu 2024-11-21 11:25 UTC Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming. As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down), 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. 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. 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]* ------------------------------ Upcoming Satellite Operations A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. Guyana: Aldir, PY1SAD (ZZ1M), operates from Georgetown as 8R1TM between Oct. 12 and Nov. 24 on 160-10m (CW, SSB, digital modes) and via satellites. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, qrz.com. (From DXNL 2427 - October 9, 2024) *[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, for the above information]* ------------------------------ * Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?* Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store <https://www.zazzle.com/store/amsat_gear>! 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space ------------------------------ AMSAT Ambassador Activities 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, says, "Think a 75-minute presentation on "working the easy satellites" would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!" Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences. Scheduled Events *Yuma HAMCON* *February 20-22, 2025* Yuma, AZ N1UW *[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts from All Over +Hackaday featured a homebrew LNA suitable for satellite operation on November 4th. https://hackaday.com/2024/11/04/a-lesson-in-rf-design-thanks-to-this-homebr… (Thanks to Hackaday for the informaiton) + AMSAT-EA released a statement on the decay of SO-121: "HADES-D (SO-121) satellite has re-entered the atmosphere, disintegrating as planned. Many thanks to the ham radio community for your support. We are glad that, even with its low power, many amateurs were able to make voice contacts and had fun receiving its telemetry." (Thanks to AMSAT-EA for the information) + FO-29's batteries are unable to support continuous operation of the analog transponder throughout its orbit after over 28 years. However, JARL continues to turn on the transponder at various times. Operation continues until the satellite's UVC (under-voltage control) automatically turns off the transponder. Times for the remainder of November are: Nov 10th 01:50 UTC Nov 16th 01:35 UTC Nov 17th 02:24 UTC Nov 23rd 02:09 UTC Nov 24th 01:15 UTC Nov 30th 02:43 UTC (Thanks to JARL for the 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] arrl.net <http://arrl.net>* *ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002*

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ANS-308 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 02 Nov '24

02 Nov '24

In this weeks issue: * AMSAT AO-7 to Celebrate 50th Anniversary * AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium Presentations Now Available * Back to Basics: What is the CubeSat Launch Initiative? * VUCC Satellite Standing for November 2024 * FO-29 November Operating Schedule * Telemetry Reports Wanted for Upcoming ASRTU-1 Satellite Launch * Voyager 1 Resorts to Transmitter that Hasn't Been Used Since 1981 * Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 1, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Activities * Satellite Shorts From All Over 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 [dot] 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/ ANS-308 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins To: All RADIO AMATEURS From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653 Washington, DC 20002 DATE 2024 Nov 03 AMSAT AO-7 to Celebrate 50th Anniversary It has often been reported that the oldest satellites still working in space are the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The Voyagers were both launched in 1977 to take advantage of the planetary alignment called, back then, the “Grand Tour”. Their images changed the human vision of our solar system. [cid:image001.jpg@01DB2D34.86D00290] But, are they really the oldest, still functional spacecraft in outer space? What if we include spacecraft that remained behind in Earth Orbit? Is it even believable that the oldest still working satellite in space wasn’t even designed or operated by NASA, USAF, ESA or any other space agency? What if this satellite was designed by Radio Amateurs and the final assembly occurred in a basement laboratory not far from Goddard Space Flight Center? Then all things considered, AO-7, a SmallSat launched on November 15, 1974 is the oldest working satellite and is still providing service to hundreds of Amateur Radio operators around the world. In its first life, AO-7 lived a very healthy lifetime of 6.5 years. Not to over-state the case, AO-7 outlived both its commercial and government co-passengers launched by Delta-104. In late 1980, AO-7’s poor, abused, NiCad battery began to show serious signs of increased series resistance. This was a sure sign to AMSAT command stations that the end was in sight. The cells had been originally matched for capacity by NASA. And, indeed the cells all failed within a matter of weeks of one another. AO-7 stayed asleep for 21 years, to the nearest month. Then one day AO-7 woke up again. This was only possible if something caused an open circuit in the battery. A very active user of AO-7, Pat Gowain, G3IOR, from the UK, made a telephone call to Perry Klein, W3PK, (first AMSAT President and designer of the VHF/HF transponder). This was on June 21, 2002. Pat wondered if we had launched a new LEO spacecraft? He was hearing Morse Code Telemetry again on the old beacon frequency of AO-7. He played Perry a tape recording. It sure sounded like AO-7 telemetry! Many radio amateurs who were satellite enthusiasts very quickly began to observe the signals from AO-7 and the second life of the "Sleeping Beauty" of satellites began. Over the next three weeks in November AMSAT News Service will honor this historic achievement with a series of short articles highlighting the life of AMSAT OSCAR 7. In the meantime be sure to visit a special page on the AMSAT website where you will find a collection of AO-7 articles and links at https://www.amsat.org/amsat-ao-7-a-fifty-year-anniversary/. [ANS thanks Jan King, W3GEY, AMSAT AO-7 Project Manager for the above information.] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [cid:image002.jpg@01DB2D34.86D00290] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium Presentations Now Available The fifteen live presentations given at the recent AMSAT 42nd Space Symposium are now available online for viewing. The URL's for presentations on Day 1 and Day 2 are shown along with the approximate timeline for each presentation. [cid:image003.jpg@01DB2D34.86D00290] Also available is the Symposium Banquet keynote address by Brian Abbott, NA7D, and the AMSAT General Meeting conducted by AMSAT President Robert Bankston, KE4AL. Day 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhYXX9AXlI AMSAT-UK Payload on Jovian-1 CubeSat David Bowman, G0MRF 0:00:58 CARD-SAT®: A Step Forward for Satellite Miniaturization Adrian Totu, YO3HOT 0:58:15 Working QO-100 from Beyond the Nominal Footprint Graham Shirville, G3VZV 1:18:55 AMSAT & ARISS Over the Past 40 Years Frank Bauer, KA3HDO 2:01:20 MO-122 (MESAT1) Commissioning Recap Mark Hammond, N8MH 2:35:05 AMSAT-HB Update Michael Lipp, HB9WD 3:08:05 Fox Plus Update Mike Moore, K4MVM 3:24:45 Day 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64Zm7rEmi0 AMSAT CubeSatSim Education Update and Software Overview Alan Johnston, KU2Y 0:00:48 Integration of the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator for Education and Research Rachel Jones, KO4HLC 0:44:00 ARISS Engineering Update – ISS, Lunar, and Commercial Activities Randy Berger, WA0D 1:47:00 Automation and Remote Control of the Inter-Operable Radio System (IORS) on the ISS Chris Thompson, VE2TCP/G0KLA 2:51:56 Getting Ready to Receive HamTV from the ISS Graham Shirville, G3VZV 3:36:00 GOLF-TEE Flight Software and Bus Overview Burns Fisher, WB1FJ 4:22:55 Determination of Orbiting Spacecraft Space Vectors Solely from In-flight Position Measurements Joseph DiVerdi, K0NMR 5:20:00 AMSAT Engineering Update Jerry Buxton, N0JY 6:02:00 AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards Ceremony Robert Bankston, KE4AK, AMSAT President 7:15:30 Banquet Keynote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb-pQmr97KA Brent Abbott, NA7D, Chief Revenue Officer , Rogue Space 0:00:45 [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] ________________________________ Back to Basics: What is the CubeSat Launch Initiative? (Editor's note: In this avocation, we sometimes toss around acronyms or titles with scant understanding of what they stand for. From time to time, ANS will offer short articles that can help up better understand the vocabulary of amateur satellites.) The CubeSat Launch Initiative, or CSLI, is a NASA initiative that provides opportunities for qualified CubeSats to fly as auxiliary payloads on future launches that have excess capacity or as deployments from the International Space Station (ISS). In very simple terms that means that NASA will cover the cost of providing a CubeSat a ride to space in exchange for a report on the results of that CubeSat's investigation. [cid:image004.png@01DB2D34.86D00290] NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative provides opportunities for CubeSats built by U.S. educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, including informal educational institutions such as museums and science centers to fly on upcoming launches. Through innovative technology partnerships NASA provides these CubeSat developers a low cost pathway to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space, thus enabling students, teachers, and faculty to obtain hands-on flight hardware design, development, and build experience. CSLI provides a low-cost platform for NASA science missions, including planetary exploration, Earth observation, and fundamental Earth and space science. These efforts are a cornerstone in the development of cutting-edge NASA enabling technologies including laser communications, next generation avionics approaches, power generation, distributive sensor systems, satellite-to-satellite communications, and autonomous movement. Leveraging these missions for collaboration optimizes NASA’s technology investments, fosters open innovation, and facilitates technology infusion. CubeSat missions are enabling the acceleration of flight-qualified technology assistance in raising Technology Readiness Levels, which aligns to NASA’s objective of advancing the Nation’s capabilities by maturing cross-cutting innovative space technologies. About half of all CSLI missions are conducting scientific investigations, most frequently Space Weather and Earth Science. Specific science investigation areas include: biological science, study of near Earth objects, climate change, snow/ice coverage, orbital debris, planetary science, space-based astronomy, and heliophysics. Sixty-six percent of all CSLI missions are conducting technology development or demonstrations. Communications, propulsion, navigation and control, and radiation testing lead the topics in this area. Other notable technologies are solar sails, additive manufacturing, femtosatellites, and smart phone satellites. The low cost of development for a CubeSat allows for conducting higher risk activities that would not be possible on large-scale NASA missions. What is the difference between CSLI and ELaNa? NASA’s Launch Services Program manifests CSLI payloads with a variety of launch providers. Each launch with manifested CSLI payloads is called an ELaNa mission (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) and is given an ELaNa mission number (e.g., ELaNa 49, ELaNa 50). Simply put, CSLI is the payload and ELaNa is the ride. To be eligible for CSLI, a CubeSat investigation must be of clear benefit to NASA by supporting at least one goal or objective stated in the NASA Strategic Plan. This plan can be found on NASA’s Web site http://www.nasa.gov. [ANS thanks NASA for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:image005.png@01DB2D34.86D00290] 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 Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 1, 2024 to November 1, 2024. DF2ET 1500 1602 KF7R 1154 1175 HB9AOF 743 907 W8LR 887 888 IK3ITB 604 800 N7ZO 650 669 N6UTC 600 651 F6GLJ 501 609 JA1GZK 500 575 HB9GWJ 514 553 DJ7NT 348 432 SP5ULN 156 404 JF3MKC 275 280 W6IA 246 278 WA3YDZ New 271 IC8TEM New 147 YB1RQX/P New 100 Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders. YB1RQX is first VUCC Satellite holder from OJ21 DXCC Satellite has still not been updated since May [ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ for the above information.] ________________________________ FO-29 November Operating Schedule FO-29 will be turned on at the following times in November and will remain active following each activation until the satellite’s under-voltage control (UVC) disables the transmitter. The estimated time (UTC) to turn on the analog transmitter are as follows: 2nd 02:10 ~ 3rd 03:00 ~ 4th 02:05 ~ 9th 02:45 ~ 10th 01:50 ~ 16th 01:35 ~ 17th 02:24 ~ 23rd 02:09 ~ 24th 01:15 ~ 30th 02:43 ~ [ANS thanks JAMSAT for the above information.] ________________________________ Telemetry Reports Wanted for Upcoming ASRTU-1 Satellite Launch The LilacSat team is seeking for first day telemetry reception stations all over the world, especially in Europe and Africa. ASRTU-1 (BJ2CR / RS64S) satellite is planned for a Soyuz 2.1b launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome. Separation is expected on November 5, 2024 at approximately 03:36 UTC. [cid:image006.png@01DB2D34.86D00290] The satellite carries a V/U FM repeater, UHF SSDV and 10G hi-res image downlink. The telemetry downlink frequency is 435.400 MHz, 9600bd BPSK. A SDR dongle or a rig that supports bandwidth > 12kHz IF output (e.g. IC-705 or IC-9700) is required. LiveCD for decode can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-ASRTU-1. The preliminary TLE is shown below: ASRTU-1 1 00000U 24001A 24310.15069444 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 00014 2 00000 097.3998 174.6627 0017604 130.9343 144.0104 15.26720093000011 A special QSL card is planned for first day telemetry reports. Follow the project at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/530294498525868/?multi_permalinks=913084726… [ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT VP - Operations for the above information.] ________________________________ Voyager 1 Resorts to Transmitter that Hasn't Been Used Since 1981 Following recent communication issues, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft resorted to using a backup radio transmitter that has been inactive since 1981. The interstellar explorer experienced a brief pause in communications after putting itself in a protective state to conserve power. This was triggered by a command sent on Oct. 16 instructing the spacecraft to turn on one of its heaters. [cid:image007.png@01DB2D34.86D00290] The mission's flight team first realized there was an issue with Voyager 1 on Oct. 18, when the spacecraft failed to respond to that command. The team later discovered that the spacecraft had turned off its primary X-band radio transmitter and instead switched over to its secondary S-band radio transmitter, which uses less power, according to a statement from NASA. The transmitter shut-off seems to have been prompted by the spacecraft's fault protection system, which autonomously responds to onboard issues. The spacecraft's fault protection system switched to the S-band radio transmitter, which, prior to that date, hadn't been used since 1981. Given the spacecraft is located much farther away in interstellar space today than it was 43 years ago, the flight team was not sure a signal on the S-band frequency could be detected — especially because it transmits a significantly fainter signal while using less power. A command was sent to the S-band transmitter on Oct. 22. Two days later, on Oct. 24, the team was finally able to reconnect with Voyager 1. Voyager 1, which launched in 1977. Its time in deep space has taken a toll on its instruments and caused an increasing number of technical issues. Earlier this year, the team had to fix a separate communications glitch that was causing the spacecraft to transmit gibberish. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-Voyager. [ANS thanks Space.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! [cid:image008.png@01DB2D34.86D00290] 25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 1, 2024 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 daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/. The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: UVSQ-SAT NORAD Cat ID 43758 Decayed from orbit on or about 26 October 2024 TianYi 6 NORAD Cat ID 43158 Decayed from orbit on or about 18 October 2024 [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, 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. [ARISS News] Upcoming Contacts Instituto Privado Rivadavia, Alderetes, Tucuman, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor is Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ. Contact is go for Monday, November 4, 2024 at 13:02 UTC. Scuola Primaria “Bandello”, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Italy, telebridge via VK6MJ. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor is Ferrario Gianpietro, IZ2GOJ. Contact is go for Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 07:56 UTC. Completed Contacts Coastal Community School, Satellite Beach, FL, direct via KD4GPI. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember ass Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The ARISS mentor was Charlie Sufana, AJ9N. Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 13:42 UTC. Colegio Parroquial el Salvador, Yerba Buena, Argentina, direct via LU5KHF. The ISS callsignwas NA1SS. The crewmember was Don Pettit, KD5MDT The ARISS mentor was Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ. Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 15:32 UTC. The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). 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 packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down). As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol. 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. 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.] ________________________________ Upcoming Satellite Operations There are no operations listed. A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location. [ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT Rover Page Manager, and Alex Ners, K6VHF, for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT Ambassador Activities AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. [cid:image010.jpg@01DB2D34.86D00290] November 9, 2024 Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club Marana Middle School 11285 West Grier Rd. Marana, AZ 85653 https://www.tucsonhamradio.org/copy-of-hamfest-2022 N1UW February 14-15, 2005 Yuma Hamfest & ARRL Southwestern Division Convention Yuma County Fairgrounds https://www.yumahamfest.com/ N1UW Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over * As millions of people around the world celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams radioed home a message of festive cheer. "I want to extend my warmest wishes for a Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the festival of lights today at the White House and around the world," Williams said in a recent video message sent from the International Space Station. Speaking from the ISS' window-filled cupola with Earth as her backdrop, Williams, who is an American with Indian heritage, spoke about her father's efforts to keep Indian culture alive after he migrated to the United States in 1957. She also touched upon the symbolism of Diwali — the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and hope over despair. "Diwali is a time of joy as goodness in the world prevails," she said. [ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.] * In a few years, as part of the Artemis Program, NASA will begin the creation of permanent infrastructure that will allow for regular missions to the surface (once a year) and a sustained program of lunar exploration and development. In a recent NASA-supported study, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated a new method of sending spacecraft to the Moon. It is known as “multimode propulsion,” a method that integrates a high-thrust chemical mode and a low-thrust electric mode – while using the same propellant. To break it down, a multimode thruster relies on a single chemical monopropellant – like hydrazine or Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic (ASCENT) propellant – to power chemical thrusters and an electrospray thruster (aka. colloid thruster). The latter element relies on a process known as electrospray ionization (ESI), where charged liquid droplets are produced and accelerated by a static electric field. Electrospray thrusters were first used in space aboard the ESA’s LISA Pathfinder mission to demonstrate disturbance reduction. By developing a system that can switch as needed, satellites will be able to perform propulsive manuevers using less propellant, thus requiring fewer fuel transfers. Read the complete story at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-308-Propulsion. [ANS thanks UniverseToday.com for the above information.] * Has orbital debris gone out of control? In 1978, NASA scientists Donald J. Kessler and Burton G. Cour-Palais proposed a scenario where the density of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) would be high enough that collisions between objects would cause a cascade effect. In short, these collisions would create debris that would result in more collisions, more debris, and so on. This came to be known as the Kessler Syndrome, something astronomers, scientists, and space environmentalists have feared for many decades. In recent years, and with the deployment of more satellites than ever, the warning signs have become undeniable. Currently, there is an estimated 13,000 metric tons (14,330 US tons) of “space junk” in LEO. With the breakup and another satellite in orbit – the Intelsat 33e satellite – the situation will only get worse. Read the full report at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-208-Debris. [ANS thanks UniverseToday.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 [dot] org for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org

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