AMSAT NEWS SERVICE<br />ANS-082<br /><br /><br />ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America,<br />The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a<br />worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in<br />designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital<br />Amateur Radio satellites.<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.01<br />Shuttle Columbia's flight data recorder found<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.01 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.01<br /><br />Columbia accident investigators found a key flight data recorder Wednesday<br />near Hemphill, Texas. The device could shed new light on what was happening<br />to the spacecraft before it disintegrated over east Texas on Feb. 1. Seven<br />astronauts, 3 of them amateur radio operators were lost in the accident.<br /><br />About the size of a bread box, the instrument uses magnetic tape to record<br />data such as temperatures, pressures, vibrations, acceleration, electrical<br />currents and strains on the vehicle. The recorder was recovered intact and<br />taken to Johnson Space Center, where it must be cleaned up before<br />determining how to get to the data without damaging it.<br /><br />The recorder starts up about 10 minutes before the shuttle reaches the first<br />traces of the upper atmosphere. Investigators believe it would have<br />continued to run until the vehicle broke up.<br /><br />To date, investigators have been forced to rely on telemetry data beamed<br />back from the shuttle, video and photographs in attempt to piece together<br />what destroyed the Columbia.<br /><br />That information has helped NASA build a timeline of events as the orbiter<br />crossed the southwestern United States on way to a planned<br /><br />[ANS thanks Florida Today for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.02<br />NASA ham-astronaut among those meeting with "future explorers"<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.02 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.02<br /><br />NASA astronauts and educators are traveling the nation, meeting face-to-face<br />with future space explorers--both teachers and students. Astronauts Barbara<br />Morgan, KD5VNP; Leland Melvin; and educator astronaut co-manager Debbie<br />Brown are visiting schools, museums, and teacher conferences in New York,<br />California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Idaho during March<br />and April. Their goal is to reach out to discuss student and teacher<br />involvement in the nation's space program. Nearly 6000 students, family<br />members, and friends have nominated their teachers to become permanent<br />members of NASA's Astronaut Corps. One Michigan student nominated his<br />teacher saying, "He makes me want to come to school every day." The<br />application deadline for the Educator Astronaut Program is April 30, 2003.<br />For event locations and dates, contact Gretchen Cook-Anderson, 202-358-0836.<br />To learn more about the Educator Astronaut Program and other NASA<br /><br />[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.03<br /><br />Paul Harvey plugs ham radio's emergency communications role<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.03 From AMSAT HQ<br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br /><br />BID: $ANS-082.03<br /><br />Veteran ABC Radio Networks commentator Paul Harvey on March 19 offered some<br />kind words for Amateur Radio. The mention was the second item on "page four"<br />of his Paul Harvey Noon News and Comment program: "America's quiet warriors<br />are the legion of ham radio operators, 700,000 of them, who are always at<br />ready for backup duty in emergencies--amateur, unpaid, uncelebrated,<br />civilian radio operators, during and after floods and fires and tornadoes.<br />After the 9/11 attacks, hams were indispensable in reuniting friends and<br />families. Most recently it was they who expedited the search for debris<br />after the disaster to the space shuttle Columbia, and right now, at this<br />moment, they are involved in homeland security to a greater degree than you<br />would want me to make public." The commentary's enigmatic and mysterious<br />final sentence --typical of Harvey's habit of leaving his listeners<br />hanging--apparently refers to the fact that many Amateur Radio Emergency<br />Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Emergency Service<br />(RACES) teams have ramped up their alert status as hostilities get<br /><br />[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.04<br />Spring Satellites and Spaghetti<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.04 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.04<br /><br />The Indian River Amateur Radio Club (IRAC) is pleased to announce that our<br />third Spring, Satellites & Spaghetti day will be held on 29 March 2003. Our<br />objective is to give operators an opportunity to try their hands at<br />satellite operating and introduce them to the world of amateur satellites.<br />We will be using the Club callsign, W4NLX, but you may also hear members<br />using their own callsigns as well. The event is not restricted to club<br />members and anyone who would like to learn about amateur satellites is<br />welcome to attend. We are planning to be active on as many of the FM and<br />SSB LEO satellites as possible. The park opens at 1200z and we expect to be<br />operating until around 2100z.<br /><br />Event: Spring, Satellites & Spaghetti III<br />Location: Kiwanas Island Park, Merritt Island, Florida<br /> Grid - EL98qi<br />Date: Saturday, 29 March 2003<br />Time: ~1200-2100 UTC<br />Modes: FM and SSB LEO satellites<br /><br />[ANS thanks Lee, KU4OS, for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.05<br />ARISS Continues While Shuttle Fleet Grounded<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.05 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.05<br /><br />With the grounding of the space shuttle fleet and planned cut back of ISS<br />crew members from 3 to 2, certain Amateur Radio on the International Space<br />Station activities will be affected.<br /><br />ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says there will be less scientific work<br />taking place on the International Space Station. Bauer believes the most<br />probable scenario for a crew change will be that U-S Astronaut Ed Lu, KC5WKK<br />and Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko will fly to the I-S-S on a Soyuz<br />rocket to become the Expedition 7 crew. But Bauer adds that Astronaut Mike<br />Foale, KB5UAC, is a back-up for the crew -- also in training -- just in<br />case he is needed. He also notes that Astronaut Pedro Duque, KC5RGG, who<br />planned to use the ARISS equipment on the upcoming Soyuz transport flight,<br />will now probably fly in the fall.<br /><br />Baueer says that the only major setback for ham radio so far concerns<br />upgrading the ISS ham station itself. With the shuttles not flying,<br />consumables like food and water are the highest priority items to be<br />launched on the upcoming Progress re-supply missions. This means that the<br />ARISS hardware that was planned to be flown this year will probably be<br />delayed. The gear waiting for transport includes the Slow Scan Television<br />equipment, plus Kenwood D700 and Yeasu FT-100 radios and the Naval Academy's<br />P C Sat 2 ham satellite. Bauer says that this equipment will be kept ready<br />for any upcoming transport flight opportunities to the ISS.<br /><br />The good news: Bauer says that the opportunities for school contacts will<br />remain at the same. Look for them at a rate of at least two a week. Maybe<br />more if the Expedition 7 crew finds itself with extra free<br /><br /><br />[ANS thanks Amateur Radio Newsline for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.06<br />Persistence Makes Perfect for Space Station QSO<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.06 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.06<br /><br />Persistence paid off March 11 when students at Eugene Field School in Park<br />Ridge, Illinois, finally got to quiz astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT, about<br />life aboard the International Space Station. One earlier effort failed when<br />the earth station and NA1SS ended up on different 2-meter frequencies due to<br />a communication breakdown. The contact, arranged by the Amateur Radio on the<br />International Space Station (ARISS) program, also was postponed several<br />times because of schedule conflicts.<br /><br />Pettit answered 19 questions put to him by the students. One topic<br />discussed was Pettit's interest and research into thin films of water,<br />which, he said, look much like soap bubbles in space. He also described how<br />a tin of food that would normally float off the table while he was eating<br />would stay in place if he applied a small drop of water to the tin's bottom.<br />Pettit explained that the surface tension of the water will keep the<br />container from floating off.<br /><br />Students expressed their delight with a round of applause at the contact's<br />completion. Audio of the contact was distributed to five other elementary<br />schools and two middle schools in the suburban Chicago school district.<br />Several local TV and radio affiliates showed up to record the contact and<br />interview the students afterwards.<br /><br />"This was special for everyone here," said Tony Clishem, a curriculum<br />coordinator at one of the schools listening in on the contact.<br /><br />Eugene Field School counts among its alumni former First Lady and now US<br />Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and actor Harrison Ford. The school has 600<br />students in kindergarten through grade 5.<br /><br />The contact was handled via W6SRJ at Santa Rosa Junior College in<br />California. Earth station operators were Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, Herb<br />Sullivan, K6QXB, and Don Dalby, KE6UAY. Two-way audio was handled via a<br />WorldCom teleconferencing circuit. Tim Bosma, W6ISS, moderated the ARISS<br />QSO.<br /><br />ARISS is an international project with participation by ARRL, NASA and<br />AMSAT. For more information, visit the ARISS Web site at<br /><br />[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.07<br />Mars Express Another Step Closer to Delivery<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.07 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.07<br /><br />Mars Express, the first European spacecraft to visit the planet Mars, has<br />completed its tests at Toulouse, France. After six months extensive thermal<br />environmental, mechanical and electric tests, the spacecraft with the Beagle<br />2 lander will leave for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 19 March 2003 onboard an<br />Antonov 124 aircraft. It will be launched early June 2003 onboard a Russian<br />Soyuz-Fregat rocket.<br /><br />The spacecraft will benefit from an exceptionally favourable launch window<br />in June 2003; at this date, the distance separating the planets Earth and<br />Mars will be minimal, an opportunity only occurring all 17 years. From<br />December 2003, Mars Express will be inserted into an elliptical quasi-polar<br />orbit.<br /><br />Seven scientific instruments on the orbiter will perform the following<br />tasks: global high-resolution imaging, global mineralogical mapping, global<br />atmospheric circulation and mapping of the atmospheric composition, radar<br />sounding of the subsurface structure, study of surface-atmosphere<br />interactions, and interaction of the atmosphere with the interplanetary<br />environment.<br /><br />Mars Express will also carry the Beagle 2 lander which will detach from the<br />spacecraft and land on the Martian surface. It will collect and<br /><br />[ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.08<br />Artemis Relays First Envisat Images<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.08 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.08<br /><br />The first satellite-relayed images from Envisat have been received, via the<br />Artemis data-relay spacecraft in geostationary orbit, at the European Space<br />Agency's data processing centre near Rome.<br /><br />For Artemis, the Advanced Relay Technology Mission, the image transmission<br />caps a historic, 18-month recovery operation that brought the spacecraft to<br />its assigned geostationary orbit at 21.5 degrees East after a July 2001<br />launch that left Artemis stranded in an orbit far lower than intended.<br /><br />Artemis carries payloads supporting land mobile communications, navigation<br />systems and data relay systems. The spacecraft operates at S-band (2 GHz),<br />Ka-band (26 GHz) and optical frequencies. Artemis and Envisat communicate at<br />Ka-band frequencies.<br /><br />Setting up the operational data relay system in the Ka-band between Artemis<br />and Envisat is a first for Europe. The system proves the space<br />qualifications of new technologies and operational procedures, along with<br />demonstrating the complex software used in both the ground and space<br />segments. It also shows the usefulness of data relay payloads.<br /><br />Data from various instruments will continue to be downloaded to the Envisat<br />ground station and data processing centre in Sweden, but the addition of the<br />data relay satellite offers several important new capabilities to the<br />Envisat data network.<br /><br />The Swedish ground station can 'see' the satellite for about 10 minutes of<br />Envisat's 100-minute orbit, and for 10 daily orbits. Because of its orbital<br />position above Envisat, Artemis can remain in contact with Envisat on almost<br />all its 14 daily orbits, and for longer periods.<br /><br />The use of Artemis will also enable the European Space Agency to increase<br />the amount of data acquired by Envisat anywhere in the world, particularly<br />in the case of the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar<br />(ASAR) instrument, increase the flexibility of the mission's ground segment,<br />and provide a back-up in the event of a problem with the onboard recorders,<br />which will improve mission reliability.<br /><br />Envisat recently marked its first year in orbit. Launched on 28 February<br />2002 from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana, it is the largest and most<br />capable Earth observation satellite ever built. Its suite of 10 sensors is<br />designed to provide a comprehensive view of the Earth's oceans, land,<br />atmosphere and ice caps.<br /><br />The optical data relay system will be used between Artemis and the French<br />Earth observation satellite, SPOT 4, starting in April. In 2005 the<br />Automatic Transfer Vehicle will start using a regular data relay<br /><br />[ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.09<br />Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2003-03-19 19:00 UTC<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.09 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.09<br /><br />The ARISS (a joint effort of AMSAT, the ARRL, NASA, the ARISS international<br />partners including Canada, Russia, the European Partners, and Japan)<br />operations team wishes to announce the following very tentative schedule for<br />ARISS school contacts. This schedule is very fluid and may change at the<br />last minute. Remember that amateur radio use on the ISS is considered<br />secondary. Please check the various AMSAT and ARISS webpages for the<br />latest announcements. Changes from the last announcement are noted with<br />(***). Also, please check MSNBC.com for possible live retransmissions<br />(http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp). Listen for the ISS on the downlink<br />of 145.80 MHz.<br /><br /><br />For information about educational materials available from ISS partner space<br />Agencies, please refer to links on the ARISS Frequently Asked Questions<br />page.<br /><br />If you are interested in supporting an ARISS contact, then you must fill in<br />an application. The ARISS operations mentor team will not accept adirect<br />request to support an ARISS contact.<br /><br />You should also note that many schools think that they can request a<br />specific date and time. It does not work that way. Once an application has<br />been accepted, the ARISS mentors will work with the school to determine a<br />mutually agreeable date.<br /><br />Websites that may be of interest include:<br /><br />http://www.arrl.org/sarex<br />http://www.arrl.org/ariss<br />http://www.amsat.org<br />http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov<br />http://spacelink.nasa.gov/index.html<br />http://ehb2.gsfc.nasa.gov/edcats/educator_guide/<br /><br />Your completely filled out application should be returned to the nearest<br />coordinating ARISS region if your specific region is not listed. E-mail is<br />the preferred method of submitting an application.<br /><br />Here are the email addresses:<br />ARISS-Canada and all other countries not covered: ve2ka@rac.ca<br />(Daniel Lamoureux VE2KA)<br />ARISS-Europe: jh.hahn@gmx.net (J. Hahn, DL3LUM / PA1MUC) ARISS-Japan and<br />all Region 3 countries: iaru-r3@jarl.or.jp (Keigo Komuro JA1KAB)<br />ARISS-Russia: n2ww@attbi.com (Valerie Agabekov N2WW/UA6HZ)<br />ARISS-USA: ARISS@arrl.org (The American Radio Relay League)<br /><br />ISS Expedition 6 crew:<br />Kenneth Bowersox KD5JBP<br />Nikolai Budarin RV3FB<br />Donald Pettit KD5MDT<br /><br />Saint Ursula's College, Toowoomba, Australia<br />Wed 2003-03-19 08:09 UTC via VK5ZAI<br />Congratulations Don KD5MDT and Saint Ursula for a successful contact.<br />(***)<br /><br />Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL (***) 2003-03-22<br />15:26 UTC telebridge via WH6PN (***)<br /><br /><br />Higashi Kaneko Junior High School, Japan<br />2003-03-26 09:45 UTC via 8N1ISS (***)<br /><br /><br />Osnovna Sola Selnica ob Dravi Slovenia<br />2003-03-26 19:04 UTC via S59TTT (***)<br />Cowichan Secondary School, Duncan, BC, Canada, Direct via VE7POH TBD<br /><br /><br />Lounsberry Hollow Middle School, New Jersey<br />TBD<br /><br /><br />The latest ARISS announcement and successful school list is now available on<br />the ARISS web site. Several ways to get there.<br /><br />Latest ARISS announcements and news<br />http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt<br /><br />Successful school list<br />http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf<br /><br />or<br />http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov<br /><br />If you can not get into the GSFC site, then go directly to the RAC site.<br />(***) http://www.rac.ca/ariss<br /><br />click on English<br />click on News<br /><br />[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.10<br />AMSAT-DC Annual Meeting and Space Seminar<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.10 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.10<br /><br />WHO: All hams, students and educators are invited.<br />WHAT: Talks, demos, tutorials and socializing about amateur<br /> satellites and balloon experiments.<br />WHEN: Sunday, May 4, 2003 starting at 1:00 P.M.<br />WHERE: NASA GSFC Visitor Center auditorium, Greenbelt, Md. 20771<br />WHY: Fun, education, public service, cool, and more fun.<br />HOW: Talk-in on 146.835 MHz WA3NAN/R and on APRS map.<br />HOST: Pat Kilroy, N8PK, n8pk@amsat.org<br />WEB: http://www.patkilroy.com/amsat-dc<br /><br />[ANS thanks Pat Kilroy, N8PK, for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br />This week's ANS Editor:<br />Scott Lindsey-Stevens, N3ASA<br />n3asa@amsat.org