[ans] ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

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

Date: August 5th 2012

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-218

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: * AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012 * Russian Satellite RS-40 Yubileiny-2 Launched * MSU Attracts NASA Attention With Computer System for Spacecraft * Olympic Station 2o12W Active on the Amateur Radio Satellites * Kickstarter Fund Raiser for Ham Radio at South Florida Museum * Mars Rover Landing News From JPL * Satellite Shorts From All Over * ARISS Status - 30 July 2012

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-218 01 ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 218 01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD August 5, 2012 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-218 01

AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012

The AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012 will be held at the Holiday Inn, Egerton Road, Guildford GU2 7XZ starting at 1000 am on Saturday 15 September, and finishing at approximately 17 00 pm on Sunday 16 September 2012

The colloquium attracts an international audience from across Europe as well as North America and the Middle East Attendees range from the builders of the CubeSats and Nanosats, those who communicate through them and beginners who wish to find out more about this fas- cinating branch of the hobby

This event provides a rare opportunity to chat with satellite design- ers and builders, discussions frequently continue until the early hours of the morning

There will be a beginner's session starting approximately 4pm on Friday 14 September A Friday Night dinner will be held at the hotel If you wish to attend, please contact Jim Heck by email at g3wgm@amsat org at least one week before the event

A Gala dinner is held on the Saturday evening along with the fund raising auction

Call for Speakers and Papers

AMSAT-UK invites speakers, to cover topics about micro-satellites, CubeSats, Nanosats, space and associated activities, for this event They are also invited to submit papers for the "Proceedings" document which will be published at the same time but printed papers are not mandatory We normally prefer authors to present talks themselves rather than having someone else give them in the authors' absence We also welcome "unpresented" papers for the Proceedings document

Submissions should be sent ONLY to David Johnson G4DPZ, via these routes: e-mail: david dot johnson at blackpepper dot co dot uk Postal address at http://www qrz com/db/G4DPZ

Change in Booking Procedures

There is a booking change this year Do not book your room with the hotel Instead you need to book your room with AMSAT-UK at the on- line shop: http://shop amsat org uk - the hotel will only hold rooms reserved for AMSAT-UK until August 24 If you book after this date, you risk there not being a room available

Also, Saturday's Gala Dinner must be booked in advance in the on-line shop

Additional accommodation package information can be found on the 2012 Colloquium web pages: http://www uk amsat org/colloquium/twelve

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

Russian Satellite RS-40 Yubileiny-2 Launched

A Russian research satellite, with experiments built by students and research staff of the Siberian State Aerospace University and launch- ed on July 28 Signals from RS-40 on 435 365 MHz were first reported by Maik Hermenau on the AMSAT-DL mailing list

Jan, PE0SAT published information about RS-40 on his web page While the new satellite uses amateur 70cm downlinks it does not appear to include an amateur radio mission Details of the downlink signalling protocol have not been made available

Yubileiny-2 mission aboard this 65 kilograms satellite includes test- ing advanced technological solutions to be incorporated into future missions:

Contoured heat pipes
New technological enhancements for onboard radio equipment
Small-sized attitude control elements including magnetic torquers
Testing optical properties of solar concentrators using an experi- mental solar panel module
Compact navigation receiver using the GLONASS and GPS technology

Siberian State Aerospace University student built components and experiments include:

Earth sensing technology with a camera observing the earth surface
Small WeB-camera to continuously observe the satellite's deployment mechanisms and monitor the performance of satellite components, structures and instruments made of advanced composite materials

Jan, PE0SAT reports that the signals he received from RS-40 switch between two downlink frequencies:

Signals were first copied on 435 265 MHz FM,
Then switched to 435 365 MHz FM
After about six minutes the received waterfall patern changed and there where only signals on 435 365 MHz FM

Jan posted details of the received signals at: http://www pe0sat vgnet nl/2012/i-received-data-from-rs-40/ He includes 2-line orbital elements as well as audio samples and screenshots of the received signals on this page

First signal reports from RS-40 are documented at: http://www pe0sat vgnet nl/2012/first-signals-from-rs-40/

[ANS thanks Jan, PE0SAT for the above information]

MSU Attracts NASA Attention With Computer System for Space

Evelyn Boswell for MSU News Service Bozeman MT (SPX) Jul 30, 2012 http://tinyurl com/MSU-Experiment (www spacemart com)

Two Montana State University graduate students who are building a radiation-proof computer system for use in space have received an extra boost from NASA Justin Hogan and Raymond Weber recently learned that their project with faculty member Brock LaMeres was one of 14 selected by NASA for development and demonstration on commercial launch vehicles in 2013 or 2014

The Montana State University cubesat, William A Hiscock Radiation Belt Explorer, has been orbiting the Earth since Oct 28, 2011

MSU's computer system is designed to lay on top of a reprogrammable hardware fabric, LaMeres said If the system works the way it's designed, it will detect radiation and high-energy particles If radiation strikes - or looks like it will strike - an active circuit, the computer system can shut down the active circuit and use one of the abundant spare circuits As a result, astronauts may be able to get by with less shielding than they currently carry into space to protect their computers They should also be able to work without stopping to fix computer malfunctions

NASA launched a flight test of their computer aboard a rocket on June 21 from Wallops Island The rocket soared 73 miles above the Atlantic Ocean, exposing the experiments to zero-gravity and the radiation found in 11 miles of space Within 15 minutes of launch, the rocket splashed down about two miles from Wallops Island A commercial fishing boat retrieved the experiments and returned them to the students for analysis

Hogan and Weber are wrapping up their work on their radiation-toler- ant, reconfigurable computer system so it will it into a cube approx- imately four inches on each side The cube will head to the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility at Fort Sumner, N M to be launched in early September as part of the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) program through NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium The high- altitude balloon is expected to carry the computer system 22 miles above Earth and stay aloft for 15 to 20 hours

Read the full article at the link above

[ANS thanks Montana State University and SpaceMart com for the above information]

Olympic Station 2o12W Active on the Amateur Radio Satellites

Olympic Flagship Special Event Station 2 Oscar 12 Whiskey (2o12W) has been active on the amateur radio satellites working stations in the USA and across Europe

The 2o12W satellite station has been operated by Ken Eaton, GW1FKY a member of the Barry Amateur Radio Club and AMSAT-UK

The satellite equipment comprises a Kenwood TS2000 feeding a 5 ele- ment dual-band "Elk" antenna mounted on a rotator on the portable cabin about 2 5 meters (8 feet) above the ground

Ken says the station is located on the promenade and the many elec- trical amusements in the Fairground generate considerable interfer- ence on the VHF/UHF bands which has made reception difficult

The station 2o12W is planned to be on-the-air until September

For photos and more information see: http://www uk amsat org/9322 http://www 2o12w com/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

Kickstarter Fund Raiser for Ham Radio at South Florida Museum

The West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group has built and operates a permanent Amateur Radio exhibit at the South Florida Science Mu seum in West Palm Beach Florida

Both the Museum and the amateur radio group are non-profit entities The museum gave the space for the exhibit but everything from the carpet on the floor, the paint on the walls, the overhead lighting, the electrical wiring and up has been donated and supplied by club members and limited supporters

Presently the amateur radio facilities are on the very modest side They operate on loaned radios and wire antennas The club says, "We get hundreds of youngsters visiting our exhibit every week, only a handful get to experience that 'Lasting Moment of First Excitement' due to our limited facilities "

The club has started an on-line pledge drive using Kickstarter to mmet their goal of more modern radio and put up a tower next to the building with an antenna on it that will be high enough to get over the substation next door

They also need to add exhibits that explain how basic radio, elec- tronics and antennas work for building the level of excitement

Visit the West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group's "Lasting Moment of First Excitement" Kickstarter Project page at: http://www kickstarter com/projects/997251641/lasting-moments-of-first-excit ement

The club web pages are at: http://www wpbarc com - and - Facebook page at www facebook com/WestPalmBeachAmateurRadioGroupInc

[ANS thanks Tom Loughney, AJ4XM for the above information]

Mars Rover Landing News From JPL

If you have an iPad or an iPhone with a camera, here's a chance to create personalized photos with a high-resolution 3D model of the Curiosity rover

Download Spacecraft 3D from the Apple Apps Store It's free! (Android version: to be out in a few weeks)

Print a couple of copies of the paper "Targets" before landing night

Place the Target where you want the rover to appear

Compose the desired photo, then tap the "Gear" icon and press the Photo button to take snapshots of the rovers with old and new friends on landing night

Send your pictures to: jplpublic@jpl nasa gov We'll put together a collection of photos after the landing

Other free Curiosity software to play with:

Xbox - Mars Rover Landing

Try your own skills on landing Curiosity through this Xbox game

Downloadable through the Xbox menu system or at: http://marketplace xbox com/en-US/Product/Mars-Rover-Landing/66acd000-77fe-1000- 9115-d80258480836

Eyes on the Solar System: Curiosity Edition

Experience Curiosity as it lands at Gale Crater

http://eyes jpl nasa gov(viewable in any web browser)

Be A Martian Mobile Phone Apps Mars on the go!

Participate as a Citizen Scientist on the Mars Science Lab mission

iPhone: http://mars jpl nasa gov/mobile/beam/iphone/

Android:http://mars jpl nasa gov/mobile/beam/android/

Windows: http://mars jpl nasa gov/mobile/beam/windowsphone/

Explore Mars on the Web!

This 3D interactive experience lets you explore Mars with Curiosity

Curiositys Journey: http://mars jpl nasa gov/explore/curiosity

Free Drive: http://mars jpl nasa gov/explore/freedrive/

Gale Crater: http://mars jpl nasa gov/explore/galecrater/

Learn the Rover: http://mars jpl nasa gov/explore/learnaboutrover/

[ANS thanks Jan, WB6VRN, for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

Congratulations to Ted Doty, AA5CK on earning his Satellite Worked All States Award #332 Ted wrote, "I want to express my thanks and appreciation to all of our great Satellite Ops, working from home and portable, to make this award and others a possibility
Remembering this week, that August 2, 1971 was the date when the Apollo 15 lunar module Falcon left the Moon in first televised lunar liftoff: http://en wikipedia org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module#Media in- cludes videos
An English language NHK TV news story covers the amateur radio Cube- Sat FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) which launched to the International Space Sta- tion (ISS) on July 21: http://tinyurl com/FitsatOnNHK (Southgate)
Listen for Nikolai, VE3NKL operating portable from Newfoundland on a vacation trip He will be on SO-50 and AO-27 time permitting He is active in grid squares GN09 and GN19 He posts details on his callsign lookup web page at QRZ com (via K4FEG)
Listen for Norm, N3YKF operating satellites with a portable station he brought with him during his vacation in Peru

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]

ARISS Status - 30 July 2012

Upcoming School Contact

Space Jam 6, which will be held at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum in Rantoul, Illinois, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, August 5 at 10:06 UTC The Space Jamboree Workshop is the Midwests largest technology oriented gathering of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts The theme this year is The History of Aviation Subjects that will be taught and merit badges that may be earned include the following: Space Exploration, Radio, Aviation, Electronics, Robotics, Soil/Water Conservation, Environmental Science, Energy, Metalwork, Computers, Geology, Nuclear Science, Engineering and Inventing The Jamboree is working with the University of Illinois, Purdue, and DePauw Universities (high altitude balloon launches, FIRST Robotics, Nuclear Engineering) to help Scouts plan for the future

Girls from WE@RIT Camp Speak with Sunita Williams in Space

Fifth and sixth grade girls attending the Everyday Engineering camp at Kate Gleason College, sponsored by the Women in Engineering @ Rochester Institute of Technology (WE@RIT) in New York took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, July 23 The girls talked with on-orbit astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB who currently holds the record for longest space flight by a woman The contact highlighted camp activities that focus on engineering-based themes to teach the engineering design process through hands-on build and design activities This years camp theme is World in Motion Also attending the contact were students from the grade 7-9 camp (held two weeks ago), the students attending this weeks RoboCamp, and the Lil' Kids on Campus Space Week kids To view video of the contact, see: http://www youtube com/watch?v=bdlpcw_VD4M

Virginia Air and Space Center Contact Successful

On Thursday, July 26, Sunita Williams, KD5PLB held an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with youth volunteers from the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia The volunteers give tours, provide demonstrations to the public and support the center in its efforts to educate the public The center has its own amateur radio exhibit and during these summer months, it also welcomes NASA exhibits Destination Station, the Orion Test Vehicle and the Mars Science Laboratory

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, 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

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, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org

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

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