AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-066 The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org.
In this edition:
* One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network * ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact * School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS * First satellite QSO to Antartica * AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA * AMSAT Events * ARISS News * Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-066.01 ANS-066 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 066.01
From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE March 06, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-066.01
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One Million Telemetry Packets Received by AO-85 Ground Network
At 10:31:06 UTC on March 3rd 2016, the millionth telemetry packet from AO-85 was submitted by PB0AHX to AMSAT's Fox Internet Telemetry System (FITS). Led by Chris Thompson, G0KLA, AMSAT has built a worldwide network of ground stations that can effectively monitor spacecraft health as well as collect experiment data for our university partners. The FITS development team is international in nature, with contributors from the US, Canada and the UK. There is plenty of work to go around, if you are interested in helping please contact volunteer@amsat.org
[ANS thanks AMSAT/NA for the above information]
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ARISS Countdown to 1000th Contact
The ARISS contact between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, with Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI was on Saturday represented the 997th successful ARISS contact in ARISS history. ARISS is posed to celebrate its 1000th contact as early as this week.
Below is the list of currently scheduled events for ARISS. Each one will have to be successful for the numbering to be correct. As of right now, the March 10 contact with North Dakota (the first for that state) is in the prime slot to be the 1000th contact.
School: Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic (Kopra) #998 Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC 82 deg
School: Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia (Peake) #999 Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC 53 deg via K6DUE
School: North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota (Kopra) #1000 Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 56 deg via W6SRJ
As stated above, if all of the above contacts are successful it looks as if the contact between Tim Kopra KE5UDN and North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota Thursday 2016- 03-10 19:08:55 UTC will be contact 1000. The contact will be telebridged via W6SRJ. Kopra will use the callsign NA1SS.
In celebration of the 1000th contact NASA is producing videos touting the importance of amateur radio on the ISS. The first of these to be released can be viewed at https://youtu.be/bTOiiBd2dCo
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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School SSTV CubeSat to deploy from ISS
A Slow Scan TV (SSTV) CubeSat developed by students at Saint Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) in Arlington, VA, is set to be deployed from the International Space Station on March 7 between 8-11am EST.
STM is thought to be the first Elementary school to build their own satellite, even Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and First Grade students were involved in the project.
The satellite, a 1U CubeSat called STMSat-1, will transmit a SSTV signal on 437.800 MHz.
Middle School Students took the initiative to begin exploring how to receive data from the CubeSat and formed a Ham Radio Club. There, they learned the basics of operating a ham radio station and explored Slow Scan Television as an option for receiving images once the satellite is deployed.
How Did 400 Grade School Students Built A Nano-Satellite?
http://jewelbots.tumblr.com/post/134465599599/how-did-400-grade- school-students-built-a
STMSat-1 https://twitter.com/STMSAT11 https://www.facebook.com/stmsat1/ http://www.stmsat-1.org/
Be advised that the deployment could be delayed or postponed depending on demands on the crew's time
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK* for the above information]
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First satellite QSO to Antartica
On Feb-28 2016, first satellite QSO from Antartica to mainland Argentina thru SO-50. Photos & details (spanish) on
https://www.lu4aa.org/wp/historico-primer-qso-desde-la-antartida/
[ANS thanks Pedro C0nverso for the above information]
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AMSAT's Fox-1E Likely to Get a Lift from NASA
NASA has accepted the Fox-1E cubesat - a joint effort between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University - to be part of its CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program. The satellite, also known as RadFxSat-2, will carry a radiation effects experiment developed by Vanderbilt as well as a 30-kHz wide amateur radio linear transponder with an uplink on 2 meters and a downlink on 70 centimeters. This will be in place of the FM repeater carried by most amateur cubesats. The project received a #1 priority out of 20 accepted proposals and has been offered a launch date by NASA. This is the second collaboration between AMSAT and Vanderbilt. The first - RadFxSat/Fox-1B - is also part of NASA's CSLI program and is scheduled for launch next January.
http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2016/02/amsats-fox-1e-likely-to-get- lift-from.html
[ANS thanks the CQ Newsroom for theabove information]
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AMSAT Events
Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations, forums, and/or demonstrations).
*Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 March 2016 - ScienceCity science fair, on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson AZ
*Friday/Saturday, 18-19 March 2016 - presentation for the BVARC Houston Hamfest Fort Bend County Fairground demo on Saturday
*Saturday, 19 March 2016 - Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Spring Hamfest 2016 in Scottsdale AZ
*Saturday, 26 March 2016 - Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ
*Friday through Sunday, 29 April-1 May 2016, ARRL Nevada State Convention in Las Vegas NV
*Saturday, 7 May 2016 - Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Sierra Vista AZ
*Saturday, 14 May 2016 - Matanuska Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Wasilla AK
*Saturday, 4 June 2016 - White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
+ A Successful contact was made between Gesamtschule Leverkusen Schlebusch, Leverkusen, Germany and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BV using Callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 03-01 16:45 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was telebridged via VK5ZAI. ARISS Mentor was AA4KN. This was the 995th ARISS contact.
+ A Successful contact was made between National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), Syosset, New York and Astronaut Tim Kopra KE5UDN using Callsign NA1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was[direct/telebridge] via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 996th ARISS contact.
+ A Successful contact was made between Powys Secondary Schools, Mid Wales, UK, and Astronaut Timothy Peake KG5BVI using Callsign GB1SS. The contact began [YEAR, Month, Date Time] UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via GB4PCS. ARISS Mentor was KA3HDO. This was the 997th ARISS contact.
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic, direct via OK2KYJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 08:22:43 UTC
Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, telebridge via K6DUE The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC Watch for live stream at http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss
North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC
ARISS is always glad to receive listener reports for the above contacts. ARISS thanks everyone in advance for their assistance. Feel free to send your reports to aj9n@amsat.org or aj9n@aol.com.
All ARISS contacts are made via the Ericsson radio unless otherwise noted.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above information]
Watch http://www.ariss.org/upcoming-contacts.html for information about upcoming contacts as they are scheduled.
[ANS thanks ARISS, and Charlie, AJ9N for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
Russian Mayak Satellite Says Bright Enough to Rival Solar System Visible Objects
Just something interesting that came across the wires this morning. Russian crowd funded project, apparently testing a solar sail/aerodynamic braking satellite:
Once Mayak begins its sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth, the spacecraft will unfold a 16 square meter pyramid of reflectors that will reflect the Sun's rays, creating a man-made star visible from Earth and bright enough to rival any other solar system.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Crowdfunded_Satellite_Set_t o_Become_the_Night_Skys_Brightest_Star_999.html
[ANS thanks JoAnne, K9JKM for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Joe Spier, K6WAO k6wao at amsat dot org