[ans] ANS-289 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

From: "[RADIOCOMM LIST]" <list.admin@aus-city.com>

Date: October 16th 2011

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-289

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

In this edition:

It's Time to Finalize Your Symposium Reservations
Tentative Schedule of Symposium Events
SSTL Celebrates 30th Anniversary of UoSAT-1
IARU Spectrum Futures Committee Addresses Amateur Satellite Allocations
Amateur Satellites Featured in Astronautical Congress Meeting
AubieSat-1 Vandenberg Launch Rescheduled to October 27
Successful Launch for JUNGU and SRMSat From India
NASA Announces Two Contests For Students
Satellite Shorts From All Over

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 01 It's Time to Finalize Your Symposium Reservations

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 01

AMSAT's 2011 Space Symposium is quickly approaching It will be held on Friday, November 4th through Sunday, November 6th in San Jose, CA

This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the launch of OSCAR 1 Many events are planned to celebrate our 50 years of keeping amateur radio in space The original OSCAR 1 prototype has been refurbished by the ARRL Lab It will be on display and transmitting Our Banquet Speaker is Lance Ginner, K6GSJ who was on the OSCAR 1 development team

Our annual gathering will also feature:

Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations
Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite World
Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members (Nov 3-4)
Meet Board Members and Officers
Annual General Membership Meeting
Annual Banquet-Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes

The 2011 Symposium hotel and registration web pages are now available on the AMSAT web site You may register for the Symposium and Annual Banquet at the AMSAT Store: http://www amsat-na com/store/SymposiumReg php

Visit the Symposium and Annual General Meeting web page for details and the latest information: http://www amsat org/amsat-new/symposium/2011/index php

Symposium Registration including a copy of the Proceedings is: + $50 per person starting September 20, 2011 + $55 per person at the door

The Saturday evening banquet is $45 per person The Sunday morning Area Coordinator's Breakfast is $15 per person

The hotel selected is the Wyndham San Jose, close to the airport The AMSAT discount rate is $79 00+taxes per night The reservation block code when calling the hotel directly is "AMSAT" The hotel telephone number is 408-453-6200 If you are making reservations on-line use 1031FSJAM for the group code The direct link to the hotel web page is: http://www wyndham com/hotels/SJCAP/main wnt

The cutoff date for the special AMSAT group rate at the Wyndham Hotel for room reservations to October 24

If you are planning to book a room on dates other than November 2, 3, 4, 5, you will have to call the hotel directly and ask for in- house reservations You can get the $79 rate 3 days before and 3 days after the above dates but you cannot book the room on their website Any problems, give Martha a call at the AMSAT Office: 301-589-6062

[ANS thanks the 2011 Symposium Committee for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 02 Tentative Schedule of Symposium Events

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 02

Thursday, November 3

AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting open to all AMSAT members

Friday, November 4

Symposium Registration Desk Open AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting (Friday morning) 1300 - 1700 Symposium Opening and Technical Presentations

Saturday, November 5

0730 Symposium Registration Desk Open 0800 - 1200 Technical Presentations 1200 - 1300 Lunch Break on your own 1300 - 1530 Technical Presentations 1530 - 1700 Annual General Meeting 1700 - 1800 Break 1800 - 1900 Attitude Adjustment with Cash Bar 1900 - 2100 Banquet and Keynote Speaker and Door Prize Drawing

Sunday, November 6

0730 Area Coordinators Field Ops Breakfast 0945 Meet for Sunday Tour Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose See the latest Tour information at: http://www amsat org/amsat-new/symposium/2011/SymposiumSchedule php

[ANS thanks the 2011 Symposium Committee for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 03 SSTL Celebrates 30th Anniversary of UoSAT-1

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 03

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) celebrated the 30th anniversary of the launch of Surrey's first satellite, UoSAT-1 Launched into orbit on 6th October 1981, UoSAT-1 was designed and built by a team from the University of Surrey led by SSTL founder Sir Martin Sweeting, G3YJO

UoSAT-1 was also known as UoSAT-OSCAR 9 It was a scientific and educational low-Earth orbit satellite containing many experiments and beacons but no amateur transponders UO-9 was fully operational until it re-entered October 13, 1989 from a decaying orbit after nine years of service

UO-9's mission scored several firsts for technology which would be incorporated into future amateur satllite missions including:

The first on-board computer (IHU - Integrated Housekeeping Unit)
Battery and attitude management
Remote control, and experiments
First S-band beacon
It carried a CCD camera, a Digitalker speech synthesizer, and transmitted telemetry data on a 145 826 MHz beacon at 1200 baud using asynchronous AFSK

Amateur Satellite Operators are also familiar with later SSTL UO-Sat developments:

UoSAT-2 was designated as UO-11 which can still be heard operating on 145 825 MHz with a beacon transmitting 1200 baud using asynchronous AFSK
UoSAT-3 was designated as UO-14 (no longer operational) and featured an FM Voice Repeater with 145 9750 MHz uplink and 435 0700 MHz down- link

More history can be found in an interesting article posted on the SpaceDaily com website: http://tinyurl com/3urdd9o

Read the SSTL Press Release at: http://www sstl co uk/news-and-events?story=1899

[ANS thanks SSTL for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 04 IARU Spectrum Futures Committee Addresses Amateur Satellite Allocations

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 04

The September, 2011 ARRL Spectrum Defense Matters newletter discusses the formation of the IARU Spectrum Futures Committee to develop stra- tegies for retaining access to bands above 148 MHz for the amateur and amateur-satellite services globally

There are no Global Primary Amateur and Amateur Satellite Service allocations between 146 MHz and 24 GHz Access to spectrum suitable for weak signal work in the 146-3500 MHz region is crucial for the Amateur Satellite Service

Read the ARRL Spectrum Defense Matters newletter (PDF) on-line at: http://tinyurl com/5sre5pv (arrl org)

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 05 Amateur Satellites Featured in Astronautical Congress Meeting

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 05

The 62nd International Astronautical Congress held in Cape Town, South Africa featured amateur radio satellites in various sessions

The data collected by SumbandilaSat, S0-67, provides useful informa- tion for selecting future ground station locations for minimum inter- ference The study by Dr Jakobus van Zyl and Johann Lochner, ZE6CBC, both engineers at SunSpace, covered a global geographical survey of received signals strength in the VHF band This data will give an indication of frequencies to use for command and telemetry communi- cation at existing ground stations

The Cape Peninsular University of Technology unveiled it's first Cube- Sat during the conference This satellite will include a beacon opera- ting in the 20 meter amateur band on 14 099 MHz The main mission will be to support the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory science payload for operations in Antarctica The downlink will be used for optimising the SuperDarn HF radar system operated by the National Space Agency It is also expected to provideinteresting antenna characterization oppo- rtunities for radio amateurs No launch date has been set at present

More information can be found on the South Africa AMSAT web page: http://www amsatsa org za/

An article written by Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, about the new HF CubeSat mission can be read at: http://tinyurl com/68hzgou

[ANS thanks SARL and SA-AMSAT for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 06 AubieSat-1 Vandenberg Launch Rescheduled to October 27

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 06

The launch of Auburn University's AubieSat-1 satellite has been re- scheduled to October 27, 2011 due to problems found during the system integration of the primary mission A hydraulic system leak was detect- ed and the cause was found to be a small crack in a hydraulic tube A replacement tube was manufactured, installed, and retested Also, a flexible fabric collar connecting two engine system exhaust ducts was found to be damaged following pressurized leak testing The damaged fabric collar is being removed and replaced

AubieSat-1 is designed to transmit with a power of about 800 milli- watts on a frequency of 437 475 MHz, plus or minus Doppler correction The beacon signal, along with telemetry, will be sent using A1A con- tinuous wave Morse code at 20 words per minute Additional telemetry from the on board science experiment will use CW transmissions up to 60 WPM

An internet Echolink conference group is also planned to begin one-half hour prior to launch and continue until about 30 minutes after confir- mation of the first receipt of signals from the satellite Information on the conference groups title will be distributed nearer to the launch for interested stations

Long-time AMSAT Member John Klingelhoeffer, WB4LNM serves as the Tech- nical Advisor in Auburn University's Student Space Program

[ANS thanks Dominic Hildebrandt at Auburn University for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 07 Successful Launch for JUNGU and SRMSat From India

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 07

University satellites 'Jugnu' and 'SRMSat' using amateur frequencies were successfully launched by PSLV C-18 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Shriharikota, India on October 12

The Jugnu team is requesting CW Beacon signal Reports along with the plain decoded morse message The Jugnu reports can be sent to the following mail IDs: wmy@isac gov in shantag@iitk ac in

After launch the JUNGU beacon was first received by Shamai 4Z1WS from Israel The decoded CW text message by indicated the nominal performa- nce of the spacecraft

Jugnu Frequency: CW Beacon - 437 275 MHz (17dbm)

After launch the SRMSat beacon was first received in New Zealand by Ian Ashley, ZL1AOX who reported weak but copyable signals

The SRMSat reports can be sent to: sanjaynekkanti@gmail com kc2yqj@arrl org

SRMSAT Frequency: CW Beacon - 437 425 MHz (10dbm) SRMSat Keps file: http://dinesh cyanam net/dl/SRMSAT_TLEs txt

The CW Telemetry and decoding details for SRMSAT are as below: Character 6: Satellite Mode 1 P - Sensing Mode 2 X - Communication Mode 3 C - Normal Mode 4 Z - Detumbling Mode

Character 7: Magnetometer Status 1 C - On 2 P - Off 3 X - Error 4 Z - Ready

Character 8: GPS Status

Character 9: Payload Status

Character 10: Temperature Status 1 C - < 0 degree celcius 2 P - 0 to 10 degree celcius 3 X - 10 to 20 degree celcius 4 Z - 20 to 30 degree celcius 5 6 - 30 to 40 degrees celcius 6 4 - Above 40 degrees celcius

Character 11: Battery Status 1 C - Less than 7 V 2 P - >7V and <7 3V 3 X - >7 3V and <7 6V 4 Z - >7 6V and <7 9V 5 6 - >7 9V and <8 1V 6 4 - >8 1V

[ANS thanks Dinesh Cyanam, KC2YQJ, and Mani, VU2WMY for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 08 NASA Announces Two Contests For Students

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 08 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 08

GRAIL Spacecraft Naming Contest

The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory mission to the moon, also known as GRAIL uses two twin spacecraft orbiting the moon at very precise distances to create a gravity map of the moon Accu- rate knowledge of the moon's gravity could also be used to help choose future landing sites on the moon

Now that they're on their way to the moon, the two robotic space- craft, currently dubbed GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, need real names, ones that capture the spirit and excitement of lunar exploration And NASA is looking for students to help with the naming duties

U S students in grades K-12 are eligible Entries should include the chosen names for the spacecraft, along with an explanation of why those names should be selected Justification can be any length, from a short paragraph to a 500-word essay

Entries are due Nov 11, 2011 All entries must be submitted by teachers For more information about the GRAIL mission and to submit entries via the online entry form visit: http://solarsystem nasa gov/grail/namingcontest cfm

If you have questions about the GRAIL Naming Contest, please email: grailcontest@jpl nasa gov

Your Experiment, What Will You Do Contest

NASA has created a contest for kids from anywhere on the planet to have their idea for a science experiment performed by astronauts on the International Space Station, with it live-streamed back to Earth

YouTube SpaceLab is an open competition inviting 14 18 year olds to come up with an idea for a science experiment for space You dont have to actually do the experiment, you just have to make a 2-minute video of yourself explaining it

The tagline for this contest is Your experiment, 250 miles above the Earth, for the whole world to see, and this should be a really fun and engaging world-wide contest that is sure to generate a lot of interest Students in two age categories, 14-16 years old and 17-18 years old, either alone or in groups of up to three, may sub- mit a YouTube video describing their experiment to: http://YouTube com/SpaceLab More information about the contest is available at this link, too

Deadline is Dec 7 The panel of judges is a veritable Whos Who of space mover and shakers, including Dr Stephen Hawking, Bert- rand Piccard, Professor Colin Pillinger, Peter Diamandis, Guy Laliberté, Richard Garriott, astronauts Leland Melvin, Chris Hadfield, and Bill Gerstenmaier from NASA

There are some other great prizes, too Six regional finalists will gather in Washington, D C , in March 2012 to experience a ZERO-G flight and receive other prizes From them, two global winners, one from each age group, will be announced and later have their experi- ments performed 250 miles above Earth and live streamed on YouTube Additionally, the global winners will get to choose a unique space experience as a prize: either a trip to Tanegashima Island, Japan, to watch their experiment blast off in a rocket bound for the ISS, or once they are 18 years old, a one-of-a-kind astronaut training experience in Star City, Russia, the training center for Russian cosmonauts

The remaining four regional winners will also receive a trip to the U S , a ZERO-G flight, and a Lenovo IdeaPad laptop The contest is sponsored by YouTube and Lenovo, in cooperation with Space Adventures and space agencies NASA, ESA, and JAXA

More details can be found on-line in these videos: http://www youtube com/SpaceLab http://www youtube com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=No9k63Be35c

[ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-289 09 Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 289 09 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD October 16, 2011 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-289 09

Congratulations are in order for John, K8YSE upon reaching the 1000th grid worked via satellite
Tom, W9KE has written a program which looks for satellite passes where communications between two different grid locations is possible Tom invites interested testers to download the program from http://www tomdoyle org/simplesat/simplesat html It is a zip file Un-Zip the files into a folder and run the SimpleSat exe file No install is required and the three files it will create are stor- ed in the same folder as the SimpleSat exe program It does nothing to the registry It downloads sat data from the net so use a compu- ter connected to the net when you run the program Contact Tom directly at tomdoyle1948@gmail com with any questions or comments
An interesting umbrella shaped antenna was successfully deployed this week from the new Navy experimental TacSat 4 communications satellite launched on-board a Minotaur rocket on September 27 from the Alaska Kodiak launch complex A photo of the experimental an- tenna and a video of the launch can be viewed at: http://spaceflightnow com/minotaur/tacsat4/111008update/
Zac Manchester, a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University developed, fingernail-sized satellites which may be deployed for earth-orbit missions and could someday travel to Saturn As they flutter down through its atmosphere, they will collect data about chemistry, radiation and particle impacts Each Sprite contains a 10mw transmitter KickSat is a CubeSat designed to carry hundreds or even thousands of Sprites into space and deploy them in low Earth orbit Donors who sponsor a sprite will get to name it and specify the text that it will transmit on a frequency between 433 and 436 MHz A group or club can also sponsor a fleet of Sprites together Full details can be found at: http://www kicksat org (Kickstarter com)
SA AMSAT has issued the first call for papers for the 2012 Space Symposium to be held in Durban on Saturday 12 May 2012, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal If you would like to present a paper, please send a brief synopsis to reach SA AMSAT by no later than 31 January 2012 The theme will be 50 years of OSCAR, celebrating the launch of the first amateur radio satellite on 12 December 1961
During Opportunity rovers three-year trek across 20 km (13 miles) of Meridiani Planum on Mars, rover planners captured a horizon photograph at the end of each drive using the unique vantage point of the rover itself 309 images taken during the journey appear in this video A sound track was generated using the rover's accelero- meter data - rough sounds are rocky terrain, and traversing sandy terrain is quieter Take your ride across Mars at: http://tinyurl com/666b9gy (UniverseToday com)
Watch a video of the flight of the custom-built 26 ft Qu8k (pro- nounced Quake) rocket on September 30, 2011 from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada It reached an altitude of 121,000 feet (36,880 meter) in 92 seconds, at speeds of 2,185 mph: http://tinyurl com/3stmloo (UniverseToday com)
If you read an interesting scientfic paper discussing how our Earth would appear to other solar systems searching for exo- planets you'll be able to steer the the conversation to some- thing more interesting than the state of the other fellow's gallbladder on 75 meters Bone up at: http://arxiv org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1110/1110 1340v1 pdf

[ANS thanks everyone 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 addi- tional benefits Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office And with that, please keep in mind, "That's the third electric shock I've gotten today!" Tom said, revoltedly That was an old joke but he didn't know any current puns He didn't know watt made him say that At which point, he'd have to send that telegram again, Tom said, remorsefully Then he was out of here, walking home after deciding he wouldn't let a flat tire get him down, Tom said without despair makes you wonder wire we continuing?

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

Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA http://amsat org/mailman/listinfo/ans

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