AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-239

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor@amsat.org

******************** AMSAT 2006 Space Symposium **************************

Online registration and hotel reservation for the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium has been posted to the AMSAT website, and information about the Symposium has been expanded. The 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held October 6, 7 and 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City, California in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.

Please visit http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium for additional information and an index to the expanded Symposium web pages.

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In this edition:

* Sunday at the Symposium to Feature Dr. Scott Sanford * AMSAT Symposium Call For Papers Deadline Extended to September 1 * Important Information For AMSAT Symposium Hotel Reservations * ARISS Slow-Scan TV System Checkout Continues * AMSAT Office Closed August 28 Through September 8 * AMSAT Mailing Lists Upgraded * Last Chance for PCSAT2 Operations * SMART to Smack the Moon

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.01 Sunday at the Symposium to Feature Dr. Scott Sanford

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.01

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.01

AMSAT is very pleased to announced that Dr. Scott Sanford, NASA Principal Investigator and co-director of the NASA Ames Astrochemistry Laboratory, has accepted our invitation to provide a key presentation during our tour of the Ames Exploration Center. Dr. Sanford will speak on about sample return from comets and asteroids in general and specifically about the Stardust Sample and Return Mission to Comet Wild 2.

Dr. Sanford was one of the original team members to propose capturing dust from a comet and bringing it back to Earth. Stardust was launched in Feb- ruary 1999, and in January 2004 approached Wild 2 within 150 miles of the nucleus, collecting samples and capturing detailed imagery of the comet's surface. On January 15th 2006 Stardust re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and successfully completed it's mission after landing in the salt flats of northwestern Utah.

For Dr. Sanford, the investigation is just beginning as he and a team of 180 other scientists are hard at work to analyze the Stardust samples. This team will likely spend years unlocking secrets from the samples. Their efforts will lead to a better understanding about the formation of our solar system and perhaps even the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System.

So be sure to join us Sunday afternoon for what promises to be an exciting event. There is no charge for visiting the Ames Exploration Center or attending Dr. Sanford's presentation. Round trip bus transportation from the Symposium Venue to Ames is available and costs $14. You can register for the bus online through the AMSAT store.

The 2006 Space Symposium will be a joint meeting with the ARISS Inter- national Delegates and will also include the IARU Satellite Advisory Panel annual meeting, and a meeting of AMSAT International Delegates. For add- itional information please visit the AMSAT website at http://www.amsat.org. Click on the 2006 Space Symposium link in the left side menu.

This year you can register for the Space Symposium online. Online Regis- tration can be found at http://www.amsat-na.com/symposium

[ANS thanks the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium Committe for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.02 AMSAT Symposium Call For Papers Deadline Extended to September 1

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.02

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.02

Invitation: Speakers are invited to submit and present papers dealing with the science of Amateur Radio Satellites and associated technologies for the AMSAT 2006 Space Symposium. The Symposium will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City, California approximately 10km south of San Francisco International Airport. This is an annual Symposium, however the 2005 Symposium was cancelled due to hurricane damage caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Speakers originally scheduled for the 2005 Symposium are invited to re-submit papers for the 2006 Symposium.

Topics: Recommended topics include but are not limited to the following categories:

* AMSAT P3E * Mechanical * AMSAT Eagle * Antennas * Microsatellite Projects * Groundstations * Cubesats and Nanosatellites Projects * Digital Modes * Launch Opportunities for Small Satellites * Education & Outreach * Attitude Determination and Control * ARISS * Propulsion * Status Reports * Communications

To view currently submitted papers visit the Call for Papers Status page at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2006PapersStatus.php

Deadline: Applications to present papers must be submitted by 1 September 2006. Papers must be submitted no later than 7 September 2006.

Procedure: We have created an online system to facilitate your appli- cation and track it. Using this system you will also be able to submit your papers and any subsequent corrections. Visit the 2006 Symposium Paper Registration webpage for instructions on submitting your paper. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2006PapersProcedure.php

If you have already submitted information about your paper and have your Confirmation Number, you can view/update your application and submit your paper by visiting the 2006 Paper Management webpage. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2006PaperRetrieval.php

[ANS thanks the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium Committe for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.03 Important Information For AMSAT Symposium Hotel Reservations

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.03

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.03

Emily Clarke, N1DID, Chairperson for the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium in the San Francisco Bay area, commented on the problems being exper- ienced with the hotel reservation system.

Emily reported, "It seems like we are running into a similar problem with the Intercontinental Reservation system as we did in Washington and Lafayette. When this happens, people making reservations are told that there are no rooms available. After speaking with the hotel we know what is happening and why, and it is really a bug in the reser- vation software that affects both the online system and the system the customer service representatives use."

It is important to understand how the discounted rate system works in order to reserve your rooms successfully. AMSAT has a block of rooms set aside from the 4th through the 10th of October, and the discounted rate code only applies during that period. If you book a room outside that range the reservation software will tell you (or a customer service representative) that there are no rooms available.

Here are some additional steps that will guide you to a successful reservation:

1) Make a reservation for within the dates of October 1st through the 13th using the AMS discount code.

2) Make a second (or third if necessary) for dates before and after that range.

If you have difficulties call the hotel directly at (650) 570-5700 or 1-877-2-CROWNE. Be sure to give them the AMS discount code and explain the reservations you need as described above.

You must make your reservations prior to September 13 to qualify for the discounted rate!

Please Note: The symposium rate is for a standard room - you can upgrade to an executive room or suite at a discounted rate.

[ANS thanks the 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium Committe for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.04 ARISS Slow-Scan TV System Checkout Continues

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.04

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.04

The ARRL, a partner with AMSAT and NASA for the ARISS project, said that Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS continues to troubleshoot the slow-scan television (SSTV) system onboard the ISS. "So far, the SSTV system has been unable to function properly in the autonomous slide show mode", according to NASA ARISS Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO.

Plans call for Vinogradov, as his schedule permits, to continue checking out the SSTV software, configure and optimize the radio and perform integration checks. The SSTV system remains off the air for the time being.

ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said that the ARISS team expected SSTV system testing to continue over the next few weeks. "Since this is a 'spare time' activity for Pavel, please bear with us as we go through this aspect of system setup," said Frank. "It is not possible right now for Pavel to switch between modes (eg voice, packet and SSTV) on the Kenwood and continue the methodical process of system setup and reconfiguration."

The SSTV system uses the ARISS Phase 2 station, a modified Kenwood TM-D700E transceiver. In recent weeks, ARISS has been using the Phase 1 station, an Ericsson hand-held transceiver, to conduct contacts with schools.

Check your tracking keps! The ISS was reboosted during a nine-minute, four-second burn of the ISS Progress 21 engines on Wednesday, August 23. While this will place the station at the correct altitude to support the rendezvous with Space Shuttle Atlantis for the STS-115 launch and for the Soyuz launch of the Expedition 14 crew in September, the 2.5 mile increase in altitude will cause the ISS to appear later than predicted if you are using pre-boost keplerian elements.

[ANS thanks the ARRL and ARISS for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.05 AMSAT Office Closed August 28 Through September 8

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.05

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.05

The AMSAT office will be closed from August 28th - September 8th when Martha will be going on her first 2 week vacation in over 25 years. Enjoy!

[ANS thanks Martha for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.06 AMSAT Mailing Lists Upgraded

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.06

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.06

Paul, KB5MU, AMSAT Director of Electronic Communications reported that the mailing lists at amsat.org have been converted over to a new program. Instead of Majordomo, AMSAT is now using GNU Mailman. Everybody's sub- scription was transferred over automatically, so you don't have to take any action to continue to receive your current mailing lists.

The big difference is that subscribing and unsubscribing is now done on the web instead of by sending email. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change any of a number of new options for email delivery, start on http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo and select the mailing list of interest. From there, the forms are intended to be self-explanatory. You can also get to the forms using the web link at the bottom of every message from the mailing list.

One thing has not changed: if you need help from a human, send email to listmaint@amsat.org. Don't send any requests for help, subscribe or unsubscribe requests, or test messages to the mailing lists.

Daily digests are handled a bit differently in Mailman. Instead of separate mailing lists (for example, amsat-bb for individual messages and amsat-bb-digest for the digest), there is a single mailing list (amsat-bb) and each user can set various options, including digest mode. Subscribers to digest mailing lists were transferred to the single mailing list, with the digest option enabled. If you're one of the few subscribers who were getting both individual messages and the digest for the same list, that is no longer possible.

More on AMSAT's mailing list services at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/maillist.php or click on Mail Services on AMSAT's main web page.

If you notice any problems or have any questions, send mail to listmaint@amsat.org.

[ANS thanks Paul, KB5MU for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.07 Last Chance for PCSAT2 Operations

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.07

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.07

Bob, WB4APR told AMSAT members about the final two operating modes that will be available via PCSAT2. The first mode will allow radio amateur to hear a voice response to packets which have been digipeated. The second mode is the final opportunity to test PCSAT2's CW/PSK transponder.

For the remaining days of PCSAT2's operation on ISS, which ends this week on August 30, the amateur radio payload will be con- figured for VOICE response to normal packets transmitted via the normal ISS digipeater 145.99 uplink / 145.800 downlink. The command station's voice downlink will be on 437.975 +/- Doppler and he/she will attempt to acknowledge by voice all packets seen on the packet uplink or generally chat about the system.

Users who want to participate, simply send your packets as normal 'VIA ARISS' on 145.99 uplink / 145.800 downlink, but listen on the 437.975 MHz downlink for the combined voice and packets.

This will only work when PCSAT2 is in range of a participating command station and there is no guarantee that all command stations will be available on any given pass.

Bob describes the final opportunity for amateur radio satellite stations to test the PCSAT2 CW and PSK transponder.

To switch on the CW/PSK transponder mode you need to send a 1200 baud packet CONNECT-REQUEST to "PCSAT2" on 145.825 uplink. This packet "connection" will trigger The 29.401 to 435.275 MHz transponder to come up for the duration Of the connection or 1 minute which ever ends first.

Due to 10 meter receiving sensitivity problems aboard PCSAT2 your earth station will need to transmit at high power - 100 watts or greater on the 29.401 MHz CW/PSK uplink frequency. Listen on the 435.275 MHz FM downlink for the signal.

[ANS thanks Bob, WB4APR, and the US Naval Academy Satellite Station for the above information]

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SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-239.08 SMART to Smack the Moon

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 239.08

From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.

August 27, 2006 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-239.08

The European Space Agency's SMART-1 spacecraft currently in lunar orbit will conclude its scientific observations of the Moon through a small impact on the lunar surface on September 3. This is planned to take place in the lunar Lake of Excellence, located at mid-southern latitudes on the earth-facing side of the moon.

A trim maneuver at the end of July has determined that the impact will most likely occur on 3 September 2006 at 07:41 CEST (05:41 UT), or at 02:36 CEST (00:36 UT) on the previous orbit due to uncertainties in the detailed knowledge of the lunar topography at the impact site.

ESA astronomers predict even if the impact at 2 kilometers per second is of modest energy, the plume might be observable if it reaches sunlight, with an amateur telescope or binoculars.

Additional information is available at this link: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=98

[ANS thanks the ESA and SpaceDaily.com for the above information]

/EX

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73, This week's ANS Editor, JoAnne Maenpaa, K9JKM K9JKM at amsat dot org