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ANS-210 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mitch Ahrenstorff (AD0HJ) 28 Jul '24

28 Jul '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-210 In this edition: * TEVEL Satellites Begin Atmospheric Reentry and Decommissioning * Ariane 6 Launches PariSat: Young Engineers Test Heat Dissipation * SpaceX to Develop Enhanced Dragon Spacecraft for ISS Deorbit * GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2024 Rankings * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 26, 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<http://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/ ANS-210 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 Jul 28 ________________________________ TEVEL Satellites Begin Atmospheric Reentry and Decommissioning The TEVEL satellite project, featuring a series of CubeSats designed and built by Israeli students, has entered its final phase with the beginning of atmospheric reentry and decommissioning. This initiative, a collaboration between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and Tel Aviv University, has been a key educational tool, providing practical experience in satellite technology to students across Israel. Launched in January 2022 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-3 mission, the TEVEL satellites were part of a broader effort to promote STEM education. The CubeSats, built to the 10x10x10 cm standard, were used for various missions including scientific data collection, amateur radio communication, and technology experimentation. The project aimed to enhance students' understanding of satellite technology and prepare them for careers in the space industry. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Students-Assembl…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Students-Assembl…> Students assembling a satellite as part of the TEVEL program. [Credit: Israel Space Agency] In addition to their educational value, the TEVEL satellites played a significant role in the amateur radio community. Equipped with radio transponders, they allowed amateur radio operators worldwide to communicate via satellite, fostering international collaboration and technological experimentation. This feature provided a unique platform for enthusiasts to engage in satellite communication. As the satellites now re-enter Earth's atmosphere, this phase marks the end of their operational lives. The reentry process, which involves the satellites burning up upon reentry to prevent space debris, is being monitored by both educational teams and the broader space community. This final stage offers a valuable learning opportunity for students tracking the satellites' descent and analyzing the data. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TEVEL-One-Throug…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TEVEL-One-Throug…> All eight TEVEL CubeSats are expected to decay from orbit in the next few weeks. [Credit: Nanosats.eu] Looking ahead, David Greenberg, 4X1DG, has announced a new TEVEL mission featuring nine additional satellites, continuing the educational and amateur radio goals of the original initiative. The decommissioning of the TEVEL satellites highlights the importance of responsible satellite disposal to minimize space debris and ensure the sustainability of space operations. The success of the TEVEL project sets a precedent for future educational satellite initiatives, demonstrating how hands-on learning can be integrated with practical space missions. As the satellites complete their final descent, they leave behind a legacy of inspiration and international collaboration in both educational and amateur radio fields. [ANS thanks Lorenzo Gianlorenzi, IU1BOT, Vashradio.org<https://vashradio.org/>, for the above information] ________________________________ Ariane 6 Launches PariSat: Young Engineers Test Heat Dissipation On July 9, 2024, Europe's newest rocket, the Ariane 6, launched with a range of missions on board, each with unique objectives and dedicated teams. Among these missions was PariSat, a project that highlights the ingenuity and dedication of the Garef Aérospatial club. This amateur space club, comprised of young engineers aged 15 to 25, has been working diligently on satellite testing, with the goal of exploring how different materials handle heat dissipation in space. The core of the PariSat experiment is to determine which materials are most effective at dissipating heat in the harsh environment of space. The project, however, is not just about the scientific results but also about the educational journey for the young engineers involved. Based in a modest building near the Georges Carpentier stadium in Paris's 13th district, the club members work after school, applying their passion for space to design and build their satellite experiment. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PariSat_Captures…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PariSat_Captures…> Earth image captured by an adapted GoPro camera used on PariSat. [Credit: Garef Aérospatial] PariSat features eight small square plates, each just 4 cm wide, which function as space radiators. These plates were chosen to test various properties such as material composition and color, and their responses to heating and cooling. Equipped with temperature sensors, each plate provided data on "black-body radiation" during the nearly three-hour flight of Ariane 6's upper stage. This data will help validate the Stefan-Boltzmann law of thermal radiation, a principle discovered in 1884. In addition to the scientific experiment, PariSat includes a photo component. The team has adapted a GoPro camera for space use, which is controlled by a module entirely designed by Garef Aérospatial. This camera, featuring a fisheye lens, captured stunning images of Earth, showcasing the planet's curvature and adding a visual dimension to the mission. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ariane_6_Payload…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ariane_6_Payload…> Five experiments gathered data while attached to the Ariane 6's upper stage during its inaugural flight. [Credit: ESA] PariSat is part of a larger set of five experiments, including Peregrinus, Sidloc, LiFi, and YPSat, which also remained attached to the Ariane 6's upper stage during its three-hour flight. These experiments gathered data as the upper stage's orbit was adjusted by the Vinci engine, which can be restarted multiple times. The collected data was transmitted back to Earth and received by the Swedish Space Corporation's telemetry station in Kiruna, Sweden. As the Garef Aérospatial team begins analyzing the data, the PariSat mission serves as a testament to the capabilities of young engineers and highlights the potential for youth-led initiatives in space science. With this mission, the team looks forward to future projects, driven by the experiences and successes gained from their participation in Ariane 6's first flight. [ANS thanks the European Space Agency<https://www.esa.int/> and Garef Aérospatial<https://garef.com/> for the above information] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-Coin-Both_5…] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ SpaceX to Develop Enhanced Dragon Spacecraft for ISS Deorbit SpaceX will develop an enhanced version of its Dragon spacecraft for NASA to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its operational life. This development comes as part of a contract awarded to SpaceX on June 26, valued at up to $843 million. The new spacecraft, known as the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), was detailed by NASA and SpaceX officials at a briefing on July 17th. The USDV will be based on SpaceX's existing Dragon spacecraft but will feature a redesigned and larger trunk section with additional thrusters. Specifically, the USDV will have 46 Draco thrusters, including 16 for attitude control and 30 for the maneuvers required to lower the ISS's orbit. Sarah Walker, SpaceX's director of Dragon mission management, explained that the enhanced trunk section is twice as long as the regular one. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SpaceX-United-St…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SpaceX-United-St…> NASA presented the concept of the US Deorbiting Vehicle designed by SpaceX on July 17th. [Credit: SpaceX] The new trunk will house engines, propellant tanks, power generation, and other systems, storing six times the propellant of the current Dragon spacecraft and generating three to four times the power. "It's almost a spacecraft in and of itself," Walker noted. Once completed, NASA will own and operate the USDV, which will be launched to the ISS shortly after the station's final crew arrives. After its arrival and successful checkout, ISS controllers will allow the station's orbit to naturally decay. The final crew will depart when the station's altitude decreases from its current 400 kilometers to 330 kilometers. The ISS's orbit will continue to decay over approximately six months before NASA uses the USDV for a final controlled deorbit, targeting a remote ocean corridor about 2,000 kilometers long. [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Crew-6-Dragon-Ca…]<https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Crew-6-Dragon-Ca…> The SpaceX Dragon capsule Endeavour which flew the Crew-6 mission on March 2nd, 2023. [Credit: SpaceX] Dana Weigel, NASA ISS program manager, mentioned that debris from the station, ranging in size from a microwave oven to a sedan, is expected to survive reentry and splash down in this corridor. The USDV will have an estimated mass of over 30,000 kilograms, including 16,000 kilograms of propellant. Due to its size, it will require a heavier class of rocket than the Falcon 9 currently used for Dragon missions. NASA plans to procure the launch vehicle separately at least three years before the launch. SpaceX expressed readiness to support the launch if given the opportunity. Northrop Grumman was the only other company to bid on the USDV. NASA's source selection statement indicated that Northrop's bid was significantly higher in price and rated lower in both mission suitability and past performance compared to SpaceX. Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, expressed satisfaction with the proposals received, noting he was pleased with the submissions from SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. [ANS thanks Jeff Foust, Spacenews.com<https://spacenews.com/>, for the above information] ________________________________ GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers August 2024 Rankings The August 2024 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap<https://x.com/GridMasterMap> on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr<https://gridmaster.fr> website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data. Updated: 2024-07-26 1 ND9M 26 LU5ILA 51 N4AKV 76 AA8CH 2 NJ7H 27 N5BO 52 AC0RA 77 VE1VOX 3 JA9KRO 28 K8BL 53 EA4NF 78 FG8OJ 4 N5UC 29 DL2GRC 54 JL3RNZ 79 PT9BM 5 UT1FG 30 KE4AL 55 AA5PK 80 KI7UXT 6 OE3SEU 31 VE3HLS 56 SP5XSD 81 YU0W 7 DL6AP 32 KB5FHK 57 F4DXV 82 KJ7NDY 8 WI7P 33 KI7UNJ 58 AD7DB 83 KB2YSI 9 DP0POL 34 LA9XGA 59 KI7QEK 84 WA9JBQ 10 K5ZM 35 JO2ASQ 60 VE1CWJ 85 N6UTC 11 N6UA 36 F4BKV 61 KE9AJ 86 N4DCW 12 HA3FOK 37 PA3GAN 62 XE1ET 87 N0TEL 13 WY7AA 38 N7AGF 63 VA7LM 88 JM1CAX 14 N9IP 39 KI0KB 64 N8RO 89 VE3GOP 15 W5PFG 40 VK5DG 65 KM4LAO 90 K0FFY 16 AK8CW 41 XE3DX 66 SM3NRY 91 CU2ZG 17 AD0DX 42 K7TAB 67 N4UFO 92 KG4AKV 18 F5VMJ 43 KE0WPA 68 W1AW 93 VE7PTN 19 WD9EWK 44 KE0PBR 69 DL4EA 94 AF5CC 20 AD0HJ 45 VA3VGR 70 PT2AP 95 K6VHF 21 ND0C 46 PR8KW 71 W8LR 96 VE6WK 22 DJ8MS 47 W7WGC 72 M1DDD 97 W8MTB 23 ON4AUC 48 N6DNM 73 HB9GWJ 98 DK9JC 24 KX9X 49 EB1AO 74 DF2ET 99 PT9ST 25 KG5CCI 50 JK2XXK 75 LU4JVE 100 VO2AC [ANS thanks @GridMasterMap<https://x.com/GridMasterMap> for the above information] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!<https://www.amsat.org/shop/> [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/cm/LEO-Pack1-300x298.png]<https://www.amsat.org/product/m2-leo-pack-antenna-system/> When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ ________________________________ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 26, 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 satellite has been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: TEVEL-6 NORAD Cat ID 50999 Decayed from orbit on or about 19 July 2024 The following satellite has been added to this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: CatSat NORAD Cat ID 60246 Downlinks on 437.185 MHz and 10470.00 MHz have been coordinated [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page 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. + Recently Completed Contacts Nizhnekamsk schools, Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P The ISS callsign was RSØISS The scheduled crewmember was Aleksandr Grebyonkin RZ3DSE The ARISS mentor was RV3DR Contact was successful: Sat 2024-07-27 13:50 UTC Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ, telebridge via AB1OC The ISS callsign was NA1SS The scheduled crewmember was Matthew Dominick KCØTOR The ARISS mentor was K4RGK Contact was successful: Sat 2024-07-27 18:24:08 UTC + Upcoming Contacts Narayama ARISS School Contact, Nara, Japan, direct via JK3ZNB The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barratt KD5MIJ The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ Contact is go for: Mon 2024-07-29 11:03:33 UTC Kopernik Observatory, Vestal, NY, mentor direct via K2ZRO The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Jeanette Epps KF5QNU The ARISS mentor is AB1OC Contact is go for: Wed 2024-07-31 18:17:25 UTC Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/live/Tv3x3D0DTzU?feature=share SMPIT Nurul Ishlah, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, telebridge via VK4ISS The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD Contact is go for: Fri 2024-08-02 12:43:07 UTC A.G. Nikolaev Secondary School, Shorshel, Chuvashia, Russia direct via TBD The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Nikolay Chub The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sun 2024-08-11 08:20 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 Posted July 21st by @W8LR_Jerry<https://x.com/W8LR_Jerry> on X (formerly Twitter): EM57/58 and EM67/68 are still planned for Aug 2/3. Please check hams.at<https://hams.at> and @W8LR_Jerry<https://x.com/W8LR_Jerry> for updates. As I mentioned two months ago EM85 in TN will now be in my travel schedule beginning in Sept. I was just notified today. I will be doing FM/Linear/GC when there. More later. Posted July 23rd by @SeanKutzko<https://x.com/SeanKutzko> KX9X on X (formerly Twitter): A reminder that I'm leaving for Hawaii this Friday! Will be on SSB / FM sats *holiday style* plus maybe some QRP FT8. No GreenCube, sorry. Will post passes here and to hams.at<https://hams.at> soon. #HamRadio @AMSAT<https://x.com/AMSAT> #AMSAT Posted July 25th by @AD0HJ<https://x.com/AD0HJ> on X (formerly Twitter): Work trip coming up the first full week of August in Fort Collins, Colorado. Will make stops on the EN02/EN03 | DN82/DN92 grid lines on the drive out. DN90/DN91 | EN20/EN30 grid lines on the way back. RS-44 satellite passes in the evenings. Posted at hams.at<https://hams.at>. Posted July 26th by @AMSAT-UK<https://x.com/AmsatUK> on X (formerly Twitter): 7E4K IOTA Expedition to Ketawai Island (OC-144, locator OI37dr) will be on various satellites (LEO, MEO and GEO). Please visit the website for schedule: https://7e4k.com 73 de Yono - YD0NXX ORARI HQ, Satellite Division #amsat #hamradio #hamr Jonathan @N4AKV_<https://x.com/N4AKV_> has posted an ambitious August roving schedule on his qrz.com<http://qrz.com> page. Tentative plans for a major satellite and 6m road trip through Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon this summer. Satellite passes listed on hams.at<https://hams.at> for the next week include grid squares FN43, FN53, and GN16. 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, 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. 2024 KARS / ARRL Idaho State Convention - August 3, 2024 2130 North Meyer Road Post Falls, ID 83854 https://k7id.org/article/StateConvention2024?classification=Info Huntsville Hamfest - August 17th and 18th, 2024 Von Braun Center South Hall 700 Monroe Street SW Huntsville, AL 35801 https://hamfest.org/ AMSAT Booth and Forum / N8DEU and W4FCL Northeast HamXpostion - August 22nd thru 25th, 2024 Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center 181 Boston Post Road West Marlborough, MA 01752 https://hamxposition.org/ Greater Louisville Hamfest - September 7th, 2024 Paroquet Springs Conference Centre 395 Paroquet Springs Drive Shepherdsville, KY 40165 https://louisvillehamfest.wixsite.com/louisvillehamfest AMSAT Forum and Information Table / W4FCL North Star Radio Convention - October 5th, 2024 Hennepin Technical College (North Campus) 9000 Brooklyn Boulevard Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 https://conv2023.tcfmc.org/ AMSAT Forum and Information Table / KØJM and ADØHJ Central Kentucky Hamfest - October 5th, 2024 Highlands Baptist Church 2032 Parallel Road Lexington, KY 40502 https://www.facebook.com/w9khz/ AMSAT and Educational Satellites Forum and Information Table / AI4SR and W4FCL 2024 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting - October 25th thru 27th, 2024 Doubletree by Hilton Tampa Rocky Point Waterfront 3050 N Rocky Point Drive West Tampa, FL 33607 https://www.amsat.org/ Stone Mountain Hamfest, ARRL State Convention - November 2nd and 3rd, 2024 Gwinnett County Fairgrounds 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30042 https://stonemountainhamfest.com/ [ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director - AMSAT Ambassador Program, 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 [https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AMSAT-Car-Flag-e…]<https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_car_flag-256716714380264543> Keeping Amateur Radio in Space https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over + ASRTU-1 is a 12U CubeSat mission developed by students from the Harbin Institute of Technology and Bauman State Technical University. It is designed for educational purposes and features an amateur radio SDR payload. The satellite will offer telecommand uplink and telemetry/digital image downlink capabilities. Harbin Institute of Technology, known for developing successful amateur radio satellites like LilacSat-2 and DSLWP-B, has created a new SDR-based transceiver for ASRTU-1. This transceiver will provide communication resources, including a V/U FM transponder, UHF telemetry downlink, and a 10.5G image downlink. Scheduled to launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome on November 2024, ASRTU-1 will operate in a 530km sun-synchronous orbit with coordinated downlinks on 436.210 MHz, 435.400 MHz, and 10460.00 MHz and a repeater uplink on 145.875 MHz. (ANS thanks @AKAhamradio<https://x.com/AKAhamradio>, X.com<https://x.com/>, for the above information) + SpaceX successfully test-fired the engines on its Super Heavy booster on July 15, 2024, in preparation for the fifth integrated flight test (IFT-5) of its Starship vehicle. This upcoming launch, expected in August, will be the most ambitious to date and aims to build on the success of previous flights. The Super Heavy booster, measuring 233 feet tall, fired its 33 Raptor engines at full thrust for about 20 seconds during the static test at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. Starship, which has been selected by NASA for the Artemis 3 lunar mission, is designed as a fully reusable system capable of carrying humans to Mars. Unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9, the Super Heavy booster is intended to return directly to its launch pad, where it will be caught midair by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. With each test flight achieving progressively more, SpaceX aims to test the booster catch system in the upcoming launch, marking a significant advance towards rapid reusability and future missions. (ANS thanks Josh Dinner, Space.com<https://www.space.com/>, for the above information) + The 188,000-pound, 212-foot-tall core stage for the Artemis-2 moon mission has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) following a 900-mile journey from Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. This milestone marks a significant step in preparing for the Artemis-2 mission, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in over fifty years. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are slated to launch on this mission as early as September 2025. Upon arrival at KSC, the core stage was transferred to a self-propelled transporter and moved into the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Engineers will soon begin processing the stage for stacking operations, involving the integration of the twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and the spacecraft. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's twin boosters and the core stage's four RS-25 engines will generate nearly 9 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, propelling Artemis-2 and its crew to the moon. (ANS thanks Mike Killian, AmericaSpace.com<https://www.americaspace.com/>, for the above information) + NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will remain at the International Space Station (ISS) with no set return date due to ongoing technical issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule. The astronauts departed for the ISS in early June on a test mission expected to last about a week, but faulty thrusters and helium leaks have delayed their return. Despite some thrusters now functioning normally and the leaks being stable, NASA and Boeing are still not ready to schedule their departure. NASA assures that the astronauts are not stranded and the technical issues do not pose a threat to the mission. Engineers are conducting tests, including on a spare thruster in New Mexico, to understand and resolve the problems. Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager, emphasized the priority of the astronauts' safety and the consideration of backup return options. (ANS thanks Anna Betts, The Guardian<https://www.theguardian.com/>, for the above information) + SpaceX is set to resume Falcon 9 launches as early as July 27 following the completion of an investigation into an upper stage anomaly from the July 11 launch. The mishap, which resulted in the rocket's upper stage failing to perform a second burn and stranding Starlink satellites in a low orbit, was attributed to a liquid oxygen leak caused by a cracked sense line. This crack was due to engine vibration fatigue and a loose clamp. The resulting leak led to ice buildup and excessive cooling of engine components, causing a hard start and subsequent damage to the engine hardware. SpaceX has implemented immediate fixes and proposed long-term solutions, and the FAA has determined that there are no public safety issues, allowing launches to proceed. SpaceX is targeting July 27 for the next launch, with two more launches tentatively scheduled for July 28. (ANS thanks Jeff Foust, SpaceNews<https://spacenews.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<https://www.amsat.org> for additional membership information. 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week's ANS Editor, Mitch Ahrenstorff, ADØHJ ad0hj [at] amsat.org<https://www.amsat.org>

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ANS-203 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Paul Stoetzer 21 Jul '24

21 Jul '24

*AMSAT News Service* *ANS-203* *July 18, 2024* In this edition: - AMSAT Board of Directors Election Underway - AMSAT Mail Alias Service to End August 31, 2024 - Tevel Satellites Nearing Re-Entry - AMSAT-OSCAR 7 in Continuous Sunlight - Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for July 19, 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/ ------------------------------ Save the Date! Symposium 2024 Photo by Robert DuBois Mark your calendar now for the 2024 AMSAT Symposium, *October 25-27, 2024 *at the Doubletree by Hilton Tampa Rocky Point Waterfront in Tampa, Florida! Watch for announcements concerning further details as plans are formulated. ------------------------------ AMSAT Board of Directors Election Underway The nomination period for the 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended on June 15th. The following candidates have been duly nominated: - Mark Hammond, N8MH - Frank Karnauskas, N1UW - Bruce Paige, KK5DO - Paul Stoetzer, N8HM - Douglas Tabor, N6UA As three seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, the three candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The two candidates receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared First Alternate and Second Alternate, respectively. The voting process is now underway. AMSAT members can find candidate statements and electronic voting information on AMSAT's Wild Apricot Membership Portal <https://launch.amsat.org/2024-BoD-Election>. The voting period will conclude on September 15th and results will be announced no later than September 30th. *[ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information]* ------------------------------ AMSAT Mail Alias Service to End August 31, 2024 A long-standing member service, the AMSAT Mail Alias Service is scheduled to end on August 31, 2024. A mail alias on AMSAT.ORG permitted people to send an email to members without knowing their actual internet email address. They just needed to know their amateur radio callsign. Unfortunately, the unchecked rise in domain name hacking and email account high-jacking has made it impossible to sustain this service at a cost-effective level. The number of callsign(a)amsat.org email accounts that had been hijacked and converted to zombie spam accounts over the years had led many internet service providers and gateway centers to ban all @ amsat.org email addresses, including those business accounts of AMSAT officers and officials. The tireless efforts of AMSAT’s all volunteer IT staff has worked for years to repair much of the damage, but AMSAT still get complaints from members who are not getting their personal emails, ANS bulletins or AMSAT-BB posts because of persistent delivery problems. It has come to the point where the AMSAT volunteer IT staff can no longer keep up with the maintenance requirements to keep the alias mail list clean and to work with email gateways to remove blocks. And, after considerable investigation into alternative paid email services, AMSAT leadership decided that the money required to keep an email alias system alive would be better spent on building and flying satellites for its members. Persons using the Mail Alias Service should begin to migrate to different email accounts so they do not lose receipt of personal emails, AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins, AMSAT-BB posts, or official messages from AMSAT itself. Members are especially asked to make sure they are NOT using a callsign(a)amsat.org as their registered email address in the AMSAT membership portal. Members can easily change their registered member email address by logging into the portal and updating their profile. *[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]* ------------------------------ Tevel Satellites Nearing Re-Entry The Tevel series of satellites is approaching re-entry, with Tevel-5 already re-entering on July 18th. The Tevel mission consists of 8 satellites developed by the Herzliya Science Center in Israel, each carrying an FM transponder. The satellites were built by 8 schools in different parts of Israel and launched in January 2022 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-3 mission. A number of other satellites with amateur radio payloads are also re-entering shortly. A list of satellites approaching re-entry can be found at http://lu7aa.org/decay.asp *[ANS thanks Herzliya Science Center, AMSAT Argentina, and LU7AA for the above information]* ------------------------------ *The 2024 Coins Are Here Now!Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.**Join <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> the AMSAT President’s Club today!* ------------------------------ AMSAT-OSCAR 7 in Continuous Sunlight AMSAT-OSCAR 7, soon to celebrate its 50th birthday on November 15, 2024, is now in a period of continuous sunlight through May 22, 2027. While in continuous sunlight, the satellite's internal timer is expected to switch between the two transponders - Mode A (29 MHz downlink and 145 MHz uplink) and Mode B (145 MHz downlink and 29 MHz uplink) every 24 hours. Post reports and check current status on the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page <https://www.amsat.org/status/>. After a few days in continuous sunlight, it should be possible to determine the actual or approximate time the satellite switches. *[ANS thanks AMSAT and EA1PA for the above information]* ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for July 19, 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/ The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: MESAT1 remains on this distribution. No signals have been detected from any other amateur spacecraft launched as part of NASA's ELaNa 43 mission. ELaNa 43 OBJECT A NORAD Cat ID 60203 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT B NORAD Cat ID 60204 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT C NORAD Cat ID 60205 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT D NORAD Cat ID 60206 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT E NORAD Cat ID 60207 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT F NORAD Cat ID 60208 No amateur signal detected ELaNa 43 OBJECT H NORAD Cat ID 60210 No amateur signal detected Zhou Enlai NORAD Cat ID 43156 Decayed from orbit on or about 17 July 2024 TEVEL-5 NORAD Cat ID 50998 Decayed from orbit on or about 18 July 2024 The following satellites have been added to this week's AMSAT TLE distribution: GRBBeta NORAD Cat ID 60236 IARU coordinated downlinks on 145.935 MHz, 436.785 MHz and 2405.000 MHz ROBUSTA-3A NORAD Cat ID 60241 IARU coordinated 9k6 GMSK with AX.25 downlink on 436.750 MHz Thanks to Nico PA0DLO for identifying the two new spacecraft. *[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. *Aznakaevsky district schools of the Republic of Tatarstan, Tatarstan Russia, direct via TBD* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS The scheduled crewmember is Aleksandr Grebyonkin RZ3DSE The ARISS mentor is RV3DR Contact is go for Sat 2024-07-27 13:45 UTC *Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ, telebridge via AB1OC* The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Matthew Dominick KCØTOR The ARISS mentor is K4RGK Contact is go: Sat 2024-07-27 18:24:08 UTC 41 deg 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. *N8MR* will be in *EN57*, with roves to EN67 from Aug 2 thru Aug 10. Icom 9700, Arrow and Alaskan (IO-117) antennas. Listening for Europe on linear eastern passes, at least two of these on CW. Can operate CW for NA ops, if anyone wants it. I can rove to EN56, only if needed. Posting passes to http://hams.at <https://t.co/VDIY566ji4> a day in advance. All QSOs to LoTW as N8MR. *[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 *2024 KARS / ARRL Idaho State Convention* *August 3, 2024* Post Falls, ID K7SYS *Huntsville Hamfest**August 17-18, 2024* Huntsville, AL AMSAT Booth and Forum N8DEU and W4FCL *Northeast HamXpostion**August 22-25, 2024* Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center 181 Boston Post Road W Marlborough, MA 01752 *Greater Louisville Hamfest**September 7, 2024* Shepherdsville, KY AMSAT Forum and Information Table W4FCL *Central Kentucky Hamfest**October 5, 2024* Lexington, KY AMSAT and Educational Satellites Forum and Information Table AI4SR and W4FCL *North Star Radio Convention**October 5, 2024* Hennepin Technical College (North Campus) Brooklyn Park, Minn. AMSAT Forum and Information Table KØJM and ADØHJ *2024 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting**October 25-27, 2024* Doubletree by Hilton Tampa Rocky Point Waterfront 3050 N Rocky Point Dr W Tampa, FL 33607 *Stone Mountain Hamfest, ARRL State Convention* *November 2-3, 2024* Stone Mountain, GA K4RGK *[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]* ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts from All Over + XW-2B has recently returned to reliable service. XW-2B has an inverting linear transponder with an uplink of 435.090-435.110 MHz and a downlink of 145.730-145.750 MHz. + The May/June 2024 issue of *The **AMSAT** Journal* is now available to members on AMSAT’s Member Portal at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal + SpaceX's Falcon 9 suffered a rare failure on July 11th when the upper stage “experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn," trapping 20 Starlink satellites in an unusably low orbit. More information at https://spacenews.com/starlink-satellites-lost-on-falcon-9-upper-stage-fail… (ANS thanks SpaceNews 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] amsat.org <http://amsat.org>* *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-196 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Frank Karnauskas (N1UW) 14 Jul '24

14 Jul '24

In this edition: * 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election * Field Day Submissions Now Due * Grace Papay, K8LG Named 2024 WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year * AMSAT TLE Dissemination Updates * Updating Keps in SatPC32 - An Update from DK1TB * NASA Discovers Strange Spectral Formations Cover LEO Orbits * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 12, 2024 * ARISS News * Upcoming Satellite Operations * AMSAT Ambassador Events * 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-196 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 JUL 14 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election The nomination period for the 2024 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended on June 15th. The following candidates have been duly nominated: * Mark Hammond, N8MH * Frank Karnauskas, N1UW * Bruce Paige, KK5DO * Paul Stoetzer, N8HM * Douglas Tabor, N6UA As three seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, the three candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The two candidates receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared First Alternate and Second Alternate, respectively. The voting process will be conducted via AMSAT's Wild Apricot membership system and will commence on July 15th. Instructions for voting will be emailed to all members in good standing as of July 1st by July 15th. The voting period shall conclude on September 15th and results will be announced not later than September 30th. [ANS thanks Jeff Davis, KE9V, AMSAT Secretary for the above information.] ________________________________ Field Day Submissions Now Due Field Day is behind us and it is time to tally your contacts and submit the for AMSAT Field Day. The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by Bruce Paige, KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 23, 2024. This year, Bruce is using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org<mailto:[email protected]> or kk5do(a)arrl.net<mailto:[email protected]>. Bruce reports that he has not had a mail-in entry in a very long time. If you need to download a summary sheet, it can be found at https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ or directly from his website https://www.amsatnet.com/2024fd.docx. [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, for the above information] ________________________________ The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now! Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus [cid:[email protected]] Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/ ________________________________ Grace Papay, K8LG Named 2024 WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Grace Papay, K8LG, of Holland, Michigan, has been selected as the 2024 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year. Grace, 18, is the daughter of Doug Papay, K8DP, and Carrie Papay K8CLP. Grace earned her Technician license in March 2021 and within a year achieved her Extra Class license, passing the test in March 2022. She is a recent honors graduate of Holland Christian High School in her hometown, where she earned a varsity letter in the Unified Sports program. Grace credited her father and her grandfather, John Papay, K8YSE, a well-known operator in the ham radio satellite community, for drawing her into the hobby. “I got involved in amateur radio satellites,” Grace recalls. “I got on the air. And now it has turned into something from honoring my grandfather to a hobby I’m on every day and I love.” With support from her grandfather and father, she earned the DX Century Club certificate for contacts exclusively using satellites. Grace attended Youth on the Air camps in Cincinnati in 2022 and Ottawa in 2023, where she says she was exposed to a variety of other amateur radio activities including balloon launches, slow-scan television and radio contesting. She was part of the K3LR IOTA Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure in 2023 and was a team member for the J62K St. Lucia DX contest operation in 2024. Grace is active on the HF bands and operates in the ARRL and CQ DX SSB and CW contests, ARRL Sweepstakes and CQ WPX, as well as Youth on the Air events. For the past few years, Grace has been a regular presenter at the Youth Forum at Dayton Hamvention. She delivered a presentation on youth in contesting at the Contest University Forum at Dayton this year and assisted at the YOTA and AMSAT booths. She is an active member of the Holland Amateur Radio Club, Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association, West Chester Amateur Radio Association and the American Radio Relay League. Grace received the Radio Club of America’s Young Achievers Award in 2023. She had an article on the “Next Generation of Contesters” published in the National Contest Journal (Nov/Dec 2023). A story she co-wrote on YOTA Camp 2022 appeared in the August 2022 edition of CQ magazine. Grace will be attending Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio this fall, where she will study electrical engineering. She says amateur radio played a major role in her choice of a major. The YHOTY award will be presented to Grace during a ceremony at the Huntsville Hamfest on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Amateur Radio Newsline and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors of the award, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company. The Young Ham of the Year Award was inaugurated by William Pasternak, WA6ITF, in 1986. Upon his passing in 2015, Bill’s name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to the Amateur Radio Service. [ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information.] ________________________________ AMSAT TLE Dissemination Updates AMSAT with help from its partner New England Sci-Tech prepares a bulletin of orbital elements during the first hour of the UTC day, and posts it to https://www.amsat.org/tle/daily-bulletin.txt as well as "bare" elements without the bulletin header and footer at https://www.amsat.org/tle/dailytle.txt. Other files and URLs with "nasa" and "ftp" in the URL are still maintained to support older software, but suggest organizations protocols that are no longer involved in TLE dissemination. Use of older filenames and URLs is deprecated and AMSAT does not promise to maintain them in perpetuity. End users and software developers are encouraged to use the URLs above going forward. The files are available via HTTPS (preferred) as well as unencrypted HTTP for legacy software. [ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager/IT Team for the above information.] ________________________________ Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. [cid:[email protected]] When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/ ________________________________ Updating Keps in SatPC32 - An Update from DK1TB Erich Eichmann, DK1TB, SatPC32 author offers this update: "The SatPC32 Update Keps feature doesn't work with https links for TLE files. That would require changes of the source code and maybe requires a new Delphi version for me. I will care about that but that will at least take time and at present I don't have much time for the hobby. "But all https websites can be accessed also with http. They are not "secure" sites but that is meaningless with websites that contain Keps. Therefore use http in the aux. file Celestrak.SQF for AMSAT and Celestrak TLE (Two Line Elements) files, as described by Charlie, AJ9N, see below. With that modification the Download Keps function works. "Also, the https links can be accessed with your browser, of course. Enter the links into the address line of the browser. So, you can download the Keps and save them in the SatPC32 data folder 'Kepler' (see path to that folder in the footline of menu 'Satellites'). "By the way - Meanwhile my website supports also SSL. You can access it with https://www.dk1tb.de and https://www.dk1tb-2.de. "Also, SatPC32 supports now, besides TLE files, the new formats for Keps files XML, KVN and CSV. Celestrak publishes the Keps files also in these formats. The SatPC32 UpdateKeps feature works with these files also when downloaded from https sites (I don't know why that is different versus the TLE files). Therefore you can use https in Celestrack SQF with these files such as https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=amateur&FORMAT=xml." [ANS thanks Erich Eichmann for the above information.] ________________________________ NASA Discovers Strange Spectral Formations Cover LEO Orbits NASA scientists have spotted unusual shapes in the Earth's ionosphere, hundreds of miles above the Earth's surface. [cid:[email protected]] The ionosphere stretches from 50 to 400 miles above the planet and marks the boundary between our planet's atmosphere and outer space. While it houses most satellites orbiting the Earth, it's vulnerable to changes in space weather — electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun — that can wreak havoc in the zone and mess with communications equipment. Under some conditions, the layer can become electrically charged. As detected by the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) imaging instrument, plasma bands stretching across the ionosphere can result in formations of unusual X and C shapes. It's a baffling "alphabet soup," as NASA termed the findings in a news release, that could shed light on how space weather can influence our planet's upper atmosphere and "interfere with radio and GPS signals." Charged particles can create dense bands or "crests" around the Earth's magnetic equator, while low density pockets caused by the setting Sun can result in "low-density pockets" called 'bubbles," according to NASA. Scientists believe that larger disturbances such as solar storms or even massive volcanic eruptions can cause multiple crests to merge and form an "X" shape, as previous GOLD observations have shown. But now, scientists have spotted these same shapes without any such occasion, during what scientists call "quiet time." "Earlier reports of merging were only during geomagnetically disturbed conditions — it is an unexpected feature during geomagnetic quiet conditions," said University of Colorado research associate Fazlul Laskar, who lead-authored a paper on the discovery earlier this year, in a NASA statement. Scientists are now wondering if something else could be causing these X shapes to appear. "The X is odd because it implies that there are far more localized driving factors," said NASA scientist and ionosphere expert Jeffrey Klenzing. "This is expected during the extreme events, but seeing it during ‘quiet time’ suggests that the lower atmosphere activity is significantly driving the ionospheric structure." Apart from X shapes, some bubbles in the ionosphere can also curve into C shapes, which new observations show can appear in close proximity to each other. In short, there's a lot still to learn about our planet's magnetically charged, protective shell. "The fact that we have very different shapes of bubbles this close together tells us that the dynamics of the atmosphere is more complex than we expected," Klenzing added. Read the complete article at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-196-IONOSPHERE. [ANS thanks nasa.gov for the above information.] ________________________________ Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? [cid:[email protected]] 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 July 12, 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/. This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution. [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 Hokusetsu District Osaka Council Scout Association of Japan, Toyonaka, Japan, direct via JJ3YDM. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS. The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barrat,t KD5MIJ. The ARISS mentor is Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ. Contact is go for July 18, 2024 at 08:23:52 UTC. Completed Contacts Houjoudu Elementary School, Imizu, Japan, direct via JA9YQJ. The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ. The ARISS mentor was Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ. Contact was successful on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 10:48:03 UTC. Youth On the Air 2024, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada, Telebridge via ZS6JON. The ISS callsign was NA1SS. The crewmember was Jeanette Epps. KF5QNU. The ARISS mentor was Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ. Contact was successful on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 15:06:38 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 No operation listed at this time. 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 Events AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. [cid:[email protected]] July 13, 2024 Firecracker Hamfest Salisbury, NC N7GZT July 20, 2024 “Moon Day” Frontiers of Flight Museum Love Field in Dallas, Texas AMSAT volunteers needed! Contact tschuessler(at) amsat.org for more information. July 20, 2024 WCARS Hamfest 2024 Waynesville, NC N4HF August 3, 2024 2024 KARS / ARRL Idaho State Convention Post Falls, ID K7SYS August 17-18, 2024 Huntsville Hamfest Huntsville, AL AMSAT Booth and Forum N8DEU August 23-25 2024 Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention Marlborough, MA WD4ASW and W1EME September 7, 2024 Greater Louisville Hamfest Shepherdsville, KY AMSAT Forum and Information Table W4FCL October 5, 2024 North Star Radio Convention Hennepin Technical College (North Campus) Brooklyn Park, MN. AMSAT Forum and Information Table KØJM and ADØHJ October 25-27, 2004 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Double Tree Rocky Point Waterfront Hotel Tampa Bay, FL November 2-3, 2024 Stone Mountain Hamfest, ARRL State Convention Stone Mountain, GA K4RGK [ANS thanks the Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director - AMSAT Ambassador Program for the above information.] ________________________________ Satellite Shorts From All Over * Congratulations are in order for Frank Hoonhout, KJ7DZ, for his impressive accomplishment in earning GridMaster Award #66! This esteemed recognition, initiated by Star Comm Group in 2014 and backed by Damon Runion, WA4HFN, and Rick Tillman, WA4NVM, has now been entrusted to AMSAT for the benefit of the entire amateur satellite community. The GridMaster Award celebrates radio amateurs worldwide who achieve two-way communication via amateur satellite with operators in all 488 Maidenhead grids across the contiguous United States of America. For more details on this distinguished award, visit the AMSAT website at https://www.amsat.org/gridmaster/. Frank, your achievement is truly commendable — well done! [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards for the above information.] * Tom Schuessler is still looking for a few volunteers from the DFW area to assist with the "Moon Day event at the Frontiers of Flight Museum on Saturday, July 20. This is a general public STEAM day with seminars, activities and exhibitors relating to space exploration and astronomy. He will have the CubeSat Simulator, Fox engineering model, explanation of satellite orbits and if available in the time frame, outdoor satellite passes worked. Volunteers get free admission and lunch and a break area. Tom needs to know by probably middle of next week. Drop Tom an email at tschuessler [at] amsat [dot]org. [ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.] * Satellite enthusiast David Beumer, WØDHB, became a Silent Key on June 2 after a long battle with a form of Muscular Dystrophy. A ham since his days at Haverford Senior High School in Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1969, he was chief engineer of the high school radio station, WHHS. He furthered his education at Stevens Institute of Technology and graduated in 1973 with his degree in Electrical Engineering. Dave started his career in Boston and later moved to San Diego, Calif., where he met Patty. Married in 1980, they moved to the Bay Area in 1984. From there they moved on to Colorado in 1989 for Dave’s job. Dave was employed by Markrevel, Calma, Daisy, Dazix, and VeryBest during his career. He was active on the linear birds and authored the software, FlexSatPC, which is used by many Flex Radio operators for satellite work. [ANS thanks the Beumer family 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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ANS-189 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
by Mark Johns, K0JM 07 Jul '24

07 Jul '24

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-189 In this edition: * Firefly Delivers New Amateur Satellites to Orbit * Ariane 6 Maiden Flight With GENESIS-A Module * Logbook of The World Returns To Service * LUSAT, Dead or Alive? * LEGO Bricks Printed out of Space Dust * Field Day Submissions Now Due * Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution * 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.org <http://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/ ANS-189 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins DATE 2024 July 7 Firefly Delivers New Amateur Satellites to Orbit The Firefly Alpha FLTA005/NASA ELaNa 43 mission, nicknamed “Noise of Summer,” launched successfully at 04:04 UTC on July 4 (Wednesday evening, July 3 in the U.S.) and deployed eight new cube satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Five of these cubesats carry amateur radio equipment. The cubesats were placed into a sun-synchronous Earth orbit, meaning that all locations on earth will see high-elevation passes roughly between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. and between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. local time daily, with lower elevation passes earlier and later. Among the newly-deployed satellites, the one of greatest interest to the amateur radio community is *MESAT1*. Built by the University of Maine, in cooperation with AMSAT, this satellite carries a 30 kHz wide V/U Transponder plus a 1k2 BPSK telemetry downlink. Telemetry downlink 435.800 MHz with transponder downlink 435.810-435.840 MHz, and transponder uplink 145.910-145.940 MHz. Amateurs are encouraged to use AMSAT’s FoxTelem software to collect telemetry. *MESAT1 being prepared for integration aboard the Firefly Alpha (Photo credit, University of Maine)* MESAT1 involves three missions designed by high school students in Maine. The science payloads are climate focused and include ALBEDO, IMAGER, and HAB. These will identify urban heat islands, determine concentration of phytoplankton in water bodies, and help predict harmful algal blooms. Four multispectral cameras on board will relay the data down to University of Maine’s ground station for further processing. Amateurs are encouraged to use AMSAT’s FoxTelem software to collect telemetry and assist in these science projects. Also deployed was *CatSat*, a technology demonstration of an inflatable antenna for high-speed communications, built by the University of Arizona. CatSat’s deployable antenna consists of a Mylar balloon. The front half of the balloon is transparent, allowing microwaves to pass through. The back half of the balloon is aluminized, creating a reflecting antenna. After reaching low Earth orbit, CatSat’s antenna will deploy and inflate to a diameter of just over one-and-a-half feet CatSat’s demonstration will be to transmit high-definition Earth photos to 10 GHz, X-band ground stations at ~50 megabits per second. *Artist’s rendering of CatSat with 10 GHz balloon antenna deployed. (University of Arizona)* In addition to images, data about the structure of the Earth’s ionosphere will be gathered by listening-in to thousands of beacons from ground-based ham radio stations. CatSat will relay WSPR and FT8 signals from HF. Downlinks on 437.185 MHz and 10470.00 MHz. Other satellites with IARU-coordinated amateur frequency downlinks include: *Serenity*, which uses a 4k8 FM with AX25 downlink on 437.100 MHz. Serenity was built by Teachers in Space, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization in North America that stimulates student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They provide teachers with real space science experiences, space flight opportunities, and industry connections. *KUbeSat-1*, revives small satellite research at the University of Kansas and starts a new KUbeSat program that will offer space access to student research. The main payload on KUbeSat-1 is the Primary Cosmic Ray Detector which will use a new method to measure the energy and species of primary cosmic rays hitting the Earth. The secondary payload is the High-Altitude Calibration, (HiCalK) that builds on decades of research surrounding Very High Frequency signals generated by cosmic ray interactions with the atmosphere. UHF downlink using 9k6 GMSK. A downlink on 437.085 MHz. *SOC-i* (Satellite for Optimal Control and Imaging) is a technology demonstration mission of attitude control technology and a camera that serves as an instrument to demonstrate SOC-i’s pointing abilities. Developed at the University of Washington, SOC-i has a UHF downlink using 4k8 GMSK. downlink 437.125 MHz. [ANS thanks NASA, Firefly Aerospace, and Spacflight Now for the above information] ------------------------------ *The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!* *Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus* *Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help* *Keep Amateur Radio in Space!* *https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/* <https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/> ------------------------------ Ariane 6 Maiden Flight With GENESIS-A Module The maiden flight of the new European launcher, Ariane 6, is scheduled for July 9, 2024, with a launch window of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time from the European spaceport in French Guiana (July 9 20:00h to July 10 00:00h CEST). Among many other payloads, it carries our (inside YPSAT) GENESIS-A module, attached to the second stage of the launcher. The module will transmit FT8 and live SSTV images in Robot 36 format. FT8 transmissions are made every 16 seconds, while SSTV’s are every 5 minutes. The working frequencies are as follows: Downlink 144.175 MHz FT8 Mode: – Callsign AO4ARI HO60 if the antenna has been deployed – Callsign AO4ARI HO61 if the antenna has not been deployed Downlink 144.550 MHz SSTV Robot 36 mode with live image and Hades text A carrier with a frequency of 144.550 MHz (same frequency as SSTV) is left between FT8 tones. This information is compiled in PDF in the following document on our web: https://www.amsat-ea.org/app/download/13458580/AMSAT+EA+-+GENESIS-A+transmi… The only thing ESA has given us is the trajectory over the ground while flying over Europe, but we don’t have TLEs or anything that we can semi-automate. It is available on our website: https://www.amsat-ea.org/s/cc_images/cache_19006006.jpg?t=1720182961 It will be very difficult to receive it but we thank you all if you try and if you spread this information to have all possible operators tuned into FT-8 that day. The module will fall into the sea with the second stage after a few hours. More information about the flight including timings here: https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Ariane_6_l… [ANS thanks Félix Páez, EA4GQS, AMSAT EA, for the above information] ------------------------------ Logbook of The World Returns To Service Effective 12:00pm ET / 16:00 UTC on July 1, Logbook of The World® (LoTW®) has been to service. As work progressed on the network, some users encountered LoTW opening briefly during which some 6600 logs were uploaded. The logs were not processed until this weekend as we tested that the interfaces to LoTW were functioning properly. We are taking steps to help manage what will likely be a huge influx of logs. We are requesting that if you have large uploads, perhaps from contests or from a DXpedition, please wait a week or two before uploading to give LoTW a chance to catch up. We have also implemented a process to reject logs with excessive duplicates. Please do not upload your entire log to “ensure” your contacts are in LoTW as they will be rejected. Lastly, please do not call ARRL Headquarters to report issues you are having with LoTW. You can contact support at LoTW-help(a)arrl.org. Through the end of the year, you may experience planned times when LoTW will be unavailable. We have been using this time to evaluate operational and infrastructure improvements we would like to make to LoTW. Those times will be announced. We appreciate your patience as we worked through the challenges keeping LoTW from returning to service. We know the importance of LoTW to our members, and to the tens of thousands of LoTW users who are not ARRL members. LoTW, just behind QST, is our second most popular ARRL benefit. [ANS thanks ARRL for the above information] ------------------------------ LUSAT, Dead or Alive? LO-19, co-ordinated by AMSAT Argentina, the LUSAT (named after the LU amateur designation for Argentina) microsatellite was launched on the first ARIANE ASAP flight V35 with SPOT 2, on the 22 January 1990 (01:35:27 GMT) into an 780 km sun-synchronous, 98 degree inclined orbit. It carried a Digital Store and Forward packet communications transponder similar to AO-16. Downlink was AX.25 at 437.125 MHz SSB 1200 bps RC-BPSK. It is box shaped with dimensions of 213 × 230 × 230 mm, with four solar panels and weighs 13.76 kg. Long past its expected useful life, in recent years LUSAT has only been transmitting an unmodulated carrier signal. On June 29, Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ, reported that recent observers had failed to detect the carrier. Gustavo declared LO-19 dead. However, on July 1, Nico Janssen, PAØDLO, reported receiving the carrier, but at a signal strength much weaker than over previous years. Nico suggested that, perhaps, the onboard power amplifier has failed. Well-equipped ground stations may wish to give a listen to test what they can hear. [ANS thanks Gustavo Carpignano, LW2DTZ, Nico Janssen, PAØDLO, and Gunter’s Space Page, for the above information] ------------------------------ *Need new satellite antennas?* *Purchase 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/* <https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/> ------------------------------ LEGO Bricks Printed out of Space Dust There have been many proposals for building structures on the Moon out of lunar regolith. But here’s an idea sure to resonate with creators, mechanical tinkerers, model builders and the kid inside us all. What about using actual LEGO bricks? Researchers ground up a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite and used the dust to 3D print LEGO-style space bricks. They actually click together like the plastic variety, with so far only one downside: they only come in one color, grey. Universe Today Want to see some of these lunar LEGOs? LEGO will showcase the space bricks at some of its stores. Creating building materials on the Moon or Mars from the material on hand means construction materials don’t have to be transported from Earth. This would be a huge savings in launch costs because less weight would have to be boosted from Earth. A group of scientists from ESA (European Space Agency) were inspired by LEGO bricks, and with the advances in 3D printing, had the idea to print space bricks and test how they would work for construction. The only problem was that except for the Moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts – which are highly guarded for scientific study only — there’s not any lunar regolith available on Earth to experiment with. But meteorite dust is a close cousin to lunar regolith. The ESA team was able to get a meteorite that was discovered in Northwest Africa in 2000 and is about 4.5 billion years old. It is made of metal grains and chondrules, similar to Moon dust. *Inspired by LEGO, ESA scientists have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print LEGO-style ‘space bricks’ to test out construction ideas for a future Moon base. Credit: The LEGO Group* They mixed the meteorite dust with some other things, like a polymer called polylactide and regolith simulant and 3D printed bricks that mimic and behave just like LEGO bricks. While they aren’t smooth like regular LEGO bricks, ESA said the space bricks gave ESA’s space engineers the flexibility to build and test a variety of structures using this new material. “It’s no secret that real-world scientists and engineers sometimes try out ideas with LEGO bricks,” said Emmet Fletcher, Head of ESA’s Branding and Partnerships Office. “ESA’s space bricks are a great way to inspire young people and show them how play and the power of the imagination have an important role in space science, too.” “Nobody has built a structure on the Moon, so it was great to have the flexibility to try out all kinds of designs and building techniques with our space bricks,” said . ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley. “It was both fun and useful in scientifically understanding the boundaries of these techniques.” For a list of where the lunar LEGOs will be on display worldwide, see https://www.universetoday.com/167675/lego-bricks-printed-out-of-space-dust/… The LEGO website has additional details at https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2024/june/lego-bricks-scientists-bu… Hopefully the lunar LEGOs will inspire both children and adults about space and to encourage them to build their own LEGO Moon bases. [ANS thanks Universe Today for the above information] ------------------------------ Field Day Submissions Now Due Field Day is behind us and it is time to tally your contacts and submit the for AMSAT Field Day. The Satellite Summary Sheet should be used for submission of the AMSAT Field Day competition and be received by KK5DO (e-mail) by 11:59 P.M. CDT, Monday, July 23, 2024. This year, we are using the same due date as the ARRL. The only method for submitting your log is via e-mail to kk5do(a)amsat.org or kk5do(a)arrl.net. I have not had a mail-in entry in a very long time. If you need to download a summary sheet, it can be found at https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ or directly from my website https://www.amsatnet.com/2024fd.docx [ANS thanks Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director Contests and Awards, 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 <https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear>* ------------------------------ Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for July 5 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 from last week’s Firefly Alpha FLTA005/NASA ELaNa 43 launch have been added. They are listed as OBJECT A-H, with the exception of object G which is likely MESAT1. As is the case with most cubesat launches, it will take a while to figure out which object is which <https://www.amsat.org/why-is-there-so-much-tle-confusion-when-new-cubesats-…> . OBJECT A 60203 OBJECT B 60204 OBJECT C 60205 OBJECT D 60206 OBJECT E 60207 OBJECT F 60208 MESAT1 60209 OBJECT H 60210 OBJECT J 60211 OBJECT K 60212 [ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page 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:* Youth On the Air 2024, Mount Saint Vincent University, NS, Canada, Telebridge via ZS6JON The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled crewmember is Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD Contact is go for: Tue 2024-07-09 15:06:38 UTC 65 degrees maximum elevation Houjoudu Elementary School, Imizu, Japan, direct via JA9YQJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barratt, KD5MIJ The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ Contact is go for: Thu 2024-07-11 10:48:03 UTC 83 degrees 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). HamTV (2.395 GHz) and SSTV (145.80 MHz) are both stowed. 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 NDØC and family will be on another family camping vacation from 24 June thru 7 July, this time through Wisconsin to Michigan and back thru Illinois and Iowa. No super rare grids but several that may be needed by many. The grids and passes will depend on where/when we happen to be while on the road or camping. This will be all LEO sats: FM & SSB. As always, they will try for EU passes on RS-44 when possible. Randy is looking forward to pushing past the 100 grids-roved milestone. 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, 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. July 20, 2024 “Moon Day” Frontiers of Flight Museum Love Field in Dallas, Texas AMSAT volunteers needed! Contact tschuessler(at) amsat.org for more information. August 17-18, 2024 Huntsville Hamfest Huntsville, AL AMSAT Booth and Forum N8DEU and W4FCL September 7, 2024 Greater Louisville Hamfest Shepherdsville, KY AMSAT Forum and Information Table W4FCL October 5, 2024 Central Kentucky Hamfest Lexington, KY AMSAT and Educational Satellites Forum and Information Table AI4SR and W4FCL October 5, 2024 North Star Radio Convention Hennepin Technical College (North Campus) Brooklyn Park, Minn. AMSAT Forum and Information Table KØJM and ADØHJ 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. [ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information] ------------------------------ Satellite Shorts From All Over + *What GOES up …* NOAA’s latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-U, launched on the first Falcon Heavy of the year on June 25 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The mission, the last of the GOES-R series of geostationary weather satellites, continuously monitors weather systems over the Western Hemisphere. Assuming that next week’s planned burn to lift the satellite to geosynchronous orbit is successful, this satellite will be re-designated as GOES-19 and will, in coming months, take over the GOES-East duties from the aging GOES-16. (See ANS 182 <https://www.amsat.org/ans-182-amsat-news-service-weekly-bulletins/> last week for more details.) + *Musk come down …* Elon Musk’s SpaceX has won a contract valued at up to $843 million to build a vehicle capable of safely deorbiting the International Space Station once the station is decommissioned in 2030. While many people have suggested raising the ISS’s orbit and turning it into a museum, the amount of fuel needed to move the approximately 420-ton station to a high enough orbit to remain stable for long durations is prohibitive. + *Blow up …* Russian Resurs-P1, an almost-six-ton defunct Earth observation satellite that stopped orbit maintenance in 2017 but continued operations until 2022, unexpectedly exploded last week into hundreds of fragments. Expected to reenter later this year, Resurs-P1 was orbiting at ~350 km, close enough to the ISS’s orbital altitude that the event forced ISS astronauts into shelter for an hour while debris was tracked. + *Or go up, come down, and blow up (unexpectedly) …* during a static fire test of the first stage of China’s close-to-finished Tianlong-3 rocket, the hold-down hardware failed to do its singular job: hold down the rocket. Moments after ignition, the rocket shot 1.5 km into the sky above the city of Gongyi, China. With no guidance system, gravity took over, resulting in a massive fireball on impact. Very fortunately, there were no casualties as the rocket mostly went straight up and straight back down. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for all of the above items.) ------------------------------ 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 <http://amsat.org> for additional membership information.* 73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM k0jm [at] amsat.org

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