AMSAT NEWS SERVICE<br />ANS-082<br /><br />ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of<br />AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite<br />Corporation. ANS reports on the activitiesof a worldwide<br />group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active<br />interest in designing, building, launching and<br />communicating through analog and digital Amateur<br />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<br />data recorder Wednesday near Hemphill, Texas. The<br />device could shed new light on what was happening<br />to the spacecraft before it disintegrated over east<br />Texas on Feb. 1. Seven astronauts, 3 of them amateur<br />radio operators, were lost in the accident.<br /><br />About the size of a bread box, the instrument uses<br />magnetic tape to record data such as temperatures,<br />pressures, vibrations, acceleration, electrical<br />currents and strains on the vehicle. The recorder<br />was recovered intact and taken to Johnson Space Center,<br />where it must be cleaned up before determining how<br />to get to the data without damaging it.<br /><br />The recorder starts up about 10 minutes before the<br />shuttle reaches the first traces of the upper<br />atmosphere. Investigators believe it would have continued<br />to run until the vehicle broke up.<br /><br />To date, investigators have been forced to rely<br />on telemetry data beamed back from the shuttle,<br />video and photographs in attempt to piece together what<br />destroyed the Columbia.<br /><br />That information has helped NASA build a timeline<br />of events as the orbiter crossed the southwestern<br />United States on way to a planned landing at<br />Kennedy Space Center.<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<br />nation, meeting face-to-face with future space<br />explorers--both teachers and students. Astronauts Barbara<br />Morgan, KD5VNP; Leland Melvin; and educator astronaut<br />co-manager Debbie Brown are visiting schools,<br />museums, and teacher conferences in New York,<br />California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Ohio, Pennsylvania<br />and Idaho during March and April. Their goal<br />is to reach out to discuss student and teacher<br />involvement in the nation's space program.<br />Nearly 6000 students, family members, and friends<br />have nominated their teachers to become permanent<br />members of NASA's Astronaut Corps. One Michigan<br />student nominated his teacher saying, "He makes me<br />want to come to school every day." The application<br />deadline for the Educator Astronaut Program is<br />April 30, 2003. For event locations and dates,<br />contact Gretchen Cook-Anderson, 202-358-0836.<br />To learn more about the Educator Astronaut Program<br />and other NASA education activities, visit the<br />NASA Web site at www.nasa.gov.<br /><br />[ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.]<br /><br />/EX<br /><br /><br />SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-082.03<br />Paul Harvey plugs ham radio's emergency communications role<br /><br />AMSAT News Service Bulletin 082.03 From AMSAT HQ<br /><br />SILVER SPRING, MD. March 23, 2003<br />To All RADIO AMATEURS<br />BID: $ANS-082.03<br /><br />Veteran ABC Radio Networks commentator Paul Harvey<br />on March 19 offered some kind words for Amateur<br />Radio. The mention was the second item on<br />"page four" of his Paul Harvey Noon News and<br />Comment program: "America's quiet warriors are<br />the legion of ham radio operators, 700,000 of<br />them, who are always at ready for backup duty<br />in emergencies--amateur, unpaid, uncelebrated,<br />civilian radio operators, during and after<br />floods and fires and tornadoes. After the 9/11<br />attacks, hams were indispensable in reuniting<br />friends and families. Most recently it was they<br />who expedited the search for debris after the<br />disaster to the space shuttle Columbia, and<br />right now, at this moment, they are involved in<br />homeland security to a greater degree than you<br />would want me to make public." The commentary's<br />enigmatic and mysterious final sentence --typical<br />of Harvey's habit of leaving his listeners hanging--<br />apparently refers to the fact that many Amateur<br />Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur<br />Emergency Service (RACES) teams have ramped up<br />their alert status as hostilities get under way<br />in the Middle East.<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<br />pleased to announce that our third Spring,<br />Satellites & Spaghetti day will be held on<br />29 March 2003. Our objective is to give<br />operators an opportunity to try their hands<br />at satellite operating and introduce them to<br />the world of amateur satellites. We will be<br />using the Club callsign, W4NLX, but you may<br />also hear members using their own callsigns<br />as well. The event is not restricted to<br />club members and anyone who would like to<br />learn about amateur satellites is welcome<br />to attend. We are planning to be active on<br />as many of the FM and SSB LEO satellites as<br />possible. The park opens at 1200z and we<br />expect to be 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<br />fleet and planned cut back of ISS crew<br />members from 3 to 2, certain Amateur<br />Radio on the International Space Station<br />activities will be effected.<br /><br />ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says<br />there will be less scientific work taking<br />place on the International Space Station.<br />Bauer believes the most probable scenario<br />for a crew change will be that U-S Astronaut<br />Ed Lu, KC5WKK and Russian Cosmonaut Yuri<br />Malenchenko will fly to the I-S-S on a<br />Soyuz rocket to become the Expedition 7 crew.<br />But Bauer adds that Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC,<br />is a back-up for the crew -- also in training --<br />just in case he is needed. He also notes that<br />Astronaut Pedro Duque, KC5RGG, who planned to<br />use the ARISS equipment on the upcoming Soyuz<br />transport flight, will now probably fly in the fall.<br /><br />Baueer says that the only major setback for ham<br />radio so far concerns upgrading the ISS ham station<br />itself. With the shuttles not flying, consumables<br />like food and water are the highest priority items<br />to be launched on the upcoming Progress re-supply missions.<br /><br />This means that the ARISS hardware that<br />was planned to be flown this year will<br />probably be delayed. The gear waiting<br />for transport includes the Slow Scan Television<br />equipment, plus Kenwood D700 and Yeasu FT-100<br />radios and the Naval Academy's PC Sat 2 ham satellite.<br />Bauer says that this equipment will be kept<br />ready for any upcoming transport flight<br />opportunities to the ISS.<br /><br />The good news: Bauer says that the opportunities<br />for school contacts will remain at the same.<br />Look for them at a rate of at least two a week.<br />Maybe more if the Expedition 7 crew finds itself<br />with extra free time.<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<br />Eugene Field School in Park Ridge, Illinois,<br />finally got to quiz astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT,<br />about life aboard the International Space Station.<br />One earlier effort failed when the earth station<br />and NA1SS ended up on different 2-meter frequencies<br />due to a communication breakdown. The contact,<br />arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International<br />Space Station (ARISS) program, also was postponed<br />several times because of schedule conflicts.<br /><br />Pettit answered 19 questions put to him by the<br />students. One topic discussed was Pettit's interest<br />and research into thin films of water, which, he said,<br />look much like soap bubbles in space. He also described<br />how a tin of food that would normally float off the<br />table while he was eating would stay in place if he<br />applied a small drop of water to the tin's bottom.<br />Pettit explained that the surface tension of the water<br />will keep the container from floating off.<br /><br />Students expressed their delight with a round of applause<br />at the contact's completion. Audio of the contact was<br />distributed to five other elementary schools and two<br />middle schools in the suburban Chicago school district.<br />Several local TV and radio affiliates showed up to<br />record the contact and interview the students afterwards.<br /><br />"This was special for everyone here," said Tony Clishem,<br />a curriculum coordinator at one of the schools listening<br />in on the contact.<br /><br />Eugene Field School counts among its alumni former<br />First Lady and now US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and<br />actor Harrison Ford. The school has 600 students in<br />kindergarten through grade 5.<br /><br />The contact was handled via W6SRJ at Santa Rosa<br />Junior College in California. Earth station operators<br />were Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, Herb Sullivan, K6QXB,<br />and Don Dalby, KE6UAY. Two-way audio was handled via a<br />WorldCom teleconferencing circuit. Tim Bosma, W6ISS,<br />moderated the ARISS QSO.<br /><br />ARISS is an international project with participation<br />by ARRL, NASA and AMSAT. For more information, visit<br />the ARISS Web site at www.rac.ca/ariss<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<br />visit the planet Mars, has completed its tests at<br />Toulouse, France. After six months extensive thermal<br />environmental, mechanical and electric tests,<br />the spacecraft with the Beagle 2 lander will leave<br />for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on 19 March 2003 onboard an<br />Antonov 124 aircraft. It will be launched early June<br />2003 onboard a Russian Soyuz-Fregat rocket.<br /><br />The spacecraft will benefit from an exceptionally<br />favourable launch window in June 2003; at this date,<br />the distance separating the planets Earth and Mars will<br />be minimal, an opportunity only occurring all 17 years.<br />>From December 2003, Mars Express will be inserted<br />into an elliptical quasi-polar orbit.<br /><br />Seven scientific instruments on the orbiter will<br />perform the following tasks: global high-resolution<br />imaging, global mineralogical mapping, global atmospheric<br />circulation and mapping of the atmospheric composition,<br />radar sounding of the subsurface structure, study of<br />surface-atmosphere interactions, and interaction of the<br />atmosphere with the interplanetary environment.<br /><br />Mars Express will also carry the Beagle 2 lander<br />which will detach from the spacecraft and land on<br />the Martian surface. It will collect and analyse<br />rock and soil samples on the spot.<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<br />have been received, via the Artemis data-relay<br />spacecraft in geostationary orbit, at the European<br />Space Agency's data processing centre near Rome.<br /><br />For Artemis, the Advanced Relay Technology Mission,<br />the image transmission caps a historic, 18-month<br />recovery operation that brought the spacecraft<br />to its assigned geostationary orbit at 21.5 degrees<br />East after a July 2001 launch that left Artemis<br />stranded in an orbit far lower than intended.<br /><br />Artemis carries payloads supporting land mobile<br />communications, navigation systems and data relay<br />systems. The spacecraft operates at S-band (2 GHz),<br />Ka-band (26 GHz) and optical frequencies. Artemis<br />and Envisat communicate at Ka-band frequencies.<br /><br />Setting up the operational data relay system in<br />the Ka-band between Artemis and Envisat is a<br />first for Europe. The system proves the space<br />qualifications of new technologies and operational<br />procedures, along with demonstrating the complex<br />software used in both the ground and space segments.<br />It also shows the usefulness of data relay payloads.<br /><br />Data from various instruments will continue to be<br />downloaded to the Envisat ground station and data<br />processing centre in Sweden, but the addition of the<br />data relay satellite offers several important new<br />capabilities to the Envisat data network.<br /><br />The Swedish ground station can 'see' the satellite<br />for about 10 minutes of Envisat's 100-minute orbit,<br />and for 10 daily orbits. Because of its orbital position<br />above Envisat, Artemis can remain in contact with<br />Envisat on almost all its 14 daily orbits, and for<br />longer periods.<br /><br />The use of Artemis will also enable the European<br />Space Agency to increase the amount of data acquired<br />by Envisat anywhere in the world, particularly in<br />the case of the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar<br />(ASAR) instrument, increase the flexibility of the<br />mission's ground segment, and provide a back-up<br />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.<br />Launched on 28 February 2002 from Europe's spaceport<br />in French Guiana, it is the largest and most capable<br />Earth observation satellite ever built. Its suite of<br />10 sensors is designed to provide a comprehensive<br />view of the Earth's oceans, land, atmosphere and ice<br />caps.<br /><br />The optical data relay system will be used between<br />Artemis and the French Earth observation satellite,<br />SPOT 4, starting in April. In 2005 the Automatic<br />Transfer Vehicle will start using a regular data<br />relay service and possibly starting in 2006 Columbus,<br />the European element of the International Space<br />Station, will establish data relay links to Artemis<br />for nearly five hours a day.<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<br />minute. Remember that amateur radio use on the ISS is considered secondary.<br />Please check the various AMSAT and ARISS webpages for the latest<br />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<br />in an application. The ARISS operations mentor team will not accept a<br />direct 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<br />has been accepted, the ARISS mentors will work with the school to<br />determine a 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<br />nearest coordinating ARISS region if your specific region is not<br />listed. E-mail is 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 (Daniel<br />Lamoureux VE2KA)<br />ARISS-Europe: jh.hahn@gmx.net (J. Hahn, DL3LUM / PA1MUC)<br />ARISS-Japan and all Region 3 countries: iaru-r3@jarl.or.jp (Keigo Komuro<br />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 />Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL (***)<br />2003-03-22 15:26 UTC telebridge via WH6PN (***)<br /><br />Higashi Kaneko Junior High School, Japan<br />2003-03-26 09:45 UTC via 8N1ISS (***)<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<br />TBD<br /><br />Lounsberry Hollow Middle School, New Jersey<br />TBD<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 />(***)<br /><br />click on English<br />you are now at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/<br />click on News<br /><br />Currently the ARISS operations team has a list of over 60 schools that we<br />hope will be able to have a contact during 2003. As the schedule becomes<br />more solidified, we will be letting everyone know. Current plans call for<br />an<br />average of one scheduled school contact per week.<br /><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 /><br />This week's ANS Editor:<br />Scott Lindsey-Stevens, N3ASA<br />n3asa@amsat.org