AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-011
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space
including 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.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.
In this edition:
* Dayton to Host 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 16-18
* Space Station Crew Available for Interviews Live from Orbiting
Laboratory
* NASA History Program Office Summer and Fall 2015 Internships
* Dariusz Dabek, SP9TTX Earns 6th 73 on 73 Award
* Next US ARISS Contact Proposal Window opens February 15
* FUNcube-2 on UKube-1 - Jan 2015 update
* SHIN-EN2 Designated as Fuji Oscar 82
* FOX Challenge Coins Still Available
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-011.01
ANS-011 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 011.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE January 11, 2015
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-011.01
Dayton to Host 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium Oct 16-18
Mark Your Calendars !!
AMSAT NA announces that the 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held
on Friday through Sunday, Oct 16, 17, 18, 2015 in Dayton, Ohio.
Location will be at the Crowne Plaza , 33 East 5th Street, in
Downtown, Dayton.
The Crown Plaza is a 3.5 star Hotel which has been recently renovated.
Some of the perks include
+ Free parking for attendees (with validation from the hotel).
+ Free transportation to and from the airport and within 5 miles of
hotel for side trips.
+ Several restaurants are in close proximity and within walking
distance.
+ Several alternate activities and attractions are in the Dayton area.
Air Force Museum
Mendelsons
R&L,
Historical Carillon Park
America's Packard Museum
Local PBS Station, Think TV
+ If you are staying longer in the Dayton area, there are several
other points of interest close by.
2015 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting
The annual AMSAT Space Symposium features:
+ Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations
+ Operating Techniques, News, & Plans from the Amateur Satellite
World
+ Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members
+ Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers
+ AMSAT-NA Annual General Membership Meeting
+ Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !!
Several members from The Dayton Amateur Radio Assn as well as many
other local clubs will be participating in helping with this event.
Additional information about the 2015 AMSAT Symposium will be posted
on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org, as it becomes available.
[ANS thanks Steve Coy K8UD and the AMSAT Office for the above
information]
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Space Station Crew Available for Interviews Live from Orbiting
Laboratory
Crew members of Expedition 42, currently aboard the International
Space Station, are available for live interviews with media and
social media during their mission aboard the orbital laboratory.
Space station commander Barry Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry
Virts of NASA and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Samantha
Cristoforetti are on board the station along with their three Russian
crewmates, performing scientific research, demonstrating technology
and maintaining the complex.
Interviews will be offered in windows of 10 minutes. Interview
opportunities will be evaluated based on media audience size, and
relevance to current station activities and individual astronauts
aboard the space station. All three crewmembers may not be available
for every interview.
Interested media should contact Rob Navias at NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston at and provide a two-hour
window of availability between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST, Monday through
Friday.
The crew also is available for interactive, social media events that
have the potential to reach significant audiences. All social media
platforms will be considered, but interviewers must meet the same
requirements as traditional media. No direct web connection to the
space station is available for conducting social media interviews.
To schedule a live social media interview, media should contact
Megan Sumner at , and provide a two-hour
window of availability.
Actual dates and times for each interview will be provided to
approved media approximately two weeks before the interview date and
are subject to change or cancellation based on operational activity
aboard the station.
Television clients will use NASA Television Media Channel 103 to
conduct the interviews. Print, radio and internet media must conduct
the interviews using a land-line telephone connection and have an
additional telephone connection of any type for coordination. All
interviews will be broadcast live on NASA TV. Further technical
information will be provided to all media upon interview approval.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science,
technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies
and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space
station has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In
that time, it has received more than 200 visitors and a variety of
international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains
the springboard to NASA's next great leap in human space exploration.
Satellite tuning information is available at:
http://go.nasa.gov/1pOWUhR
For information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
Source NASA Media Advisory M15-005:
http://tinyurl.com/ANS011-ISSinterviews
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]]
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NASA History Program Office Summer and Fall 2015 Internships
The NASA History Program Office is seeking undergraduate and
graduate students for summer and fall 2015 internships. The History
Program Office maintains archival materials to answer research
questions from NASA personnel, journalists, scholars, students at all
levels and others from around the world. The division also edits and
publishes several books and monographs each year. It maintains a
large number of websites on NASA history.
Students of all majors are welcome to apply. While detailed prior
knowledge of the aeronautics and space fields is not necessary, a
keen interest and some basic familiarity with these topics are
needed. Strong research, writing and editing skills are essential.
Experience with social media is a plus.
Intern projects are flexible. Typical projects include handling a
variety of information requests, writing posts for the NASA history
Twitter and Facebook pages, editing historical manuscripts, doing
research and writing biographical sketches, and identifying and
captioning photos.
Applications for summer 2015 internships are due Feb. 1, 2015. Fall
2015 internship applications are due June 1, 2015.
For more information, visit http://history.nasa.gov/interncall.htm.
If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Bill
Barry at
bill dot barry at nasa.gov.
[ANS thanks NASA Education Express Message for Jan. 8, 2015 for the
above information]
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Dariusz Dabek, SP9TTX Earns 6th 73 on 73 Award
Congratulations to Dariusz Dabek, SP9TTX, for becoming the
sixth recipient of the 73 on 73 Award. He submitted a list of 78
stations worked via AO-73 between September 1, 2014 and January 3,
2015.
Reviewing the recent log submissions for the award, it appears that
the full time transponder activation over the holiday season
attracted several new users to the satellite.
Paul Stoetzer N8HM is sponsoring the award for contacts made via the
AO-73 (FUNcube-1) amateur radio satellite.
1. Work 73 unique stations on AO-73.
2. Contacts must be made on or after September 1, 2014.
3. There are no geographic restrictions on your operating location.
There will be no cost for this award (donations to AMSAT-UK and
AMSAT-NA's Fox program are encouraged though).
No QSL cards are required. When you complete the requirements, email
your log extract including the callsign of each station worked, time
GMT, and date to as well as the address where you'd
like the award certificate sent.
For more information on the award see
http://amsat-uk.org/funcube/73-on-73-award/
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer N8HM for the above information]
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Next US ARISS Contact Proposal Window opens February 15
The next call for proposals for US entities to host an ARISS contact
is coming up in February, 2015.
Call for Proposals
Proposal Window February 15 - April 15, 2015
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and
organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur
Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates
that the contact would be held between January 1, 2016 and June 30,
2016. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact
contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS
is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of
participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed
education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15, 2015.
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will
participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts
are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students and
educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-
answer session. An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication
opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts
aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS
contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn
firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space
and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students
also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite
communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of
the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling
activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate
flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times.
Amateur Radio organizations around the world, NASA, and space
agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe sponsor this
educational opportunity by providing the equipment and operational
support to enable direct communication between crew on the ISS and
students around the world via Amateur Radio. In the US, the program
is managed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) and ARRL
(American Radio Relay League) in partnership with NASA.
More Information
Interested parties can find more information about the program at
www.ariss.org and www.arrl.org/ARISS. More details on expectations,
audience, proposal guidelines and proposal form, and dates and times
of Information Sessions are available at
http://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact
Please direct any questions to .
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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FUNcube-2 on UKube-1 - Jan 2015 update
Limited testing of the FUNcube-2 435/145 MHz linear transponder on
the UKube-1 spacecraft has been undertaken during the recent holiday
period.
This testing has shown that the transponder is able to work
effectively and that it is capable of a similar performance to the
transponder already operating on FUNcube-1.
AMSAT-UK and the FUNcube team have now submitted a detailed report
on the testing to the UK Space Agency, who are the owners and prime
operators of the UKube-1 spacecraft. It is expected that a meeting
will be held with them late January or early February to plan
possible future testing and operations.
Reception of UKube-1 FUNcube-2 Beacon
http://tinyurl.com/ANS011-FuncubeBeacon
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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SHIN-EN2 Designated as Fuji Oscar 82
William A. (Bill) Tynan, W3XO, OSCAR Number Administrator has
confered on SHIN-EN2 the designation Fuji OSCAR-82 or FO-82.
In reply to Seiji Fukushima's, JH6RTO, request for an OSCAR number,
Bill said, "I along with all in AMSAT-NA and the world's Amateur
Radio satellite community congratulate you and all involved with Fuji
OSCAR-82 and trust that it will fulfill all of its mission
objectives. FO-82 joins an illustrious line of Fuji spacecraft built
and launched by Japan."
Shin-En2 is a 17 kg satellite measuring 490×490×475 mm built by
students at Kagoshima University in Japan which will carry a 145 to
435 MHz linear transponder into a deep space orbit.
The aims of the mission are:
* To establish communication technologies with a long range as far
as moon.
* To establish a new technology of the ultra-light-weight satellite.
Proposing a WSJT 29dBm UHF downlink and a 29dBm 20 kHz linear
transponder and a CW beacon all on UHF with a VHF uplink for the
transponder
The orbit will be quite different from the previous satellites. Shin-
En2 will have an elliptic orbit around the Sun and travel to a deep
space orbit between Venus and Mars. Its inclination will be almost
zero, which means Shin-En2 will stay in the Earth's equatorial plane.
The distance from the Sun will be between 0.7 and 1.3 AU. An
Astronomical Unit (AU) is 149,597,871 km.
Shin-En2 IARU coordinated frequencies:
* 437.505 MHz CW beacon
* 437.385 MHz WSJT telemetry
* Inverting SSB/CW transponder
- 145.940-145.960 MHz uplink LSB
- 435.280-435.260 MHz downlink USB
Shin-En2 launched in the 4th quarter of 2014 with another amateur
radio satellite, ARTSAT2:DESPATCH, on a H-IIA rocket with the
asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 as the main payload.
Kagoshima University satellite development team
http://tinyurl.com/Kagoshima-Satellite
Shin-En2 English Website
http://www.eee.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/~fu...n,english.html
ARTSAT2:DESPATCH - Art and Ham Radio in Deep Space
http://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/03/art-a...in-deep-space/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-UK for the above Information]
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FOX Challenge Coins Still Available
It's a new year, and hopefully we have all recovered from the
holidays. Here at AMSAT Fox fundraising HQ, we are busy packing up
the new batch of coins that came in over the holidays, to ship to our
generous donors. This year will see the launches of Fox-1A and -1C,
both carrying university experiments and VHF/UHF ham radio repeaters.
Help us keep ham radio in space with your donation and sharing our
FundRazr link via social media.
http://www.amsat.org/?p275
The Fox program is designed to provide a platform for university
experiments in space, as well as provide FM repeater capability for
radio amateurs worldwide. Fox-1A and 1C are set to launch in 2015,
and Fox-1B (also known as RadFXSat) is awaiting NASA ELANA launch
assignment. Further information on the Fox project can be found at
http://www.amsat.org/?page_id13.
[ANS thanks Drew KO4MA for the above Information]
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Successful ARISS Contacts with three Italian schools
Contacts with 3 Italian schools Friday January 9, 2015 were
successful. The events included students at Scuola Santa Teresa del
Bambin Gesù, Roma, Italy, direct via IKØUSO, students at Istituto
Salesiano Villa Sora, Frascati, Italy, direct via IWØCZC, and
students at Scuola Pontificia Pio IX, Roma, Italy, via telebridge
with IK1SLD. The contact was with Samantha Cristoforetti using the
callsign IRØISS the contact began 10:14:09 UTC, which is 11:14:09
CEWT.
The downlink was audible in Europe on 145.800MHz FM.
Images of event taken at Scuola Pontificia Pio IX, Roma:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/82104276@N02/xvhd78/
Audio of both contacts established per direct/telebridge today:
http://www.amsat.it/audio/ARISS_Janu...15_1011UTC.mp3
http://www.amsat.it/audio/ARISS_Janu...15_1145UTC.mp3
Schools represented:
Scuola Santa Teresa del Bambino Gesù
The school "Santa Teresa del Bambino Gesù" is a catholic primary
school in Rome, established to answer to the needs and demands for
Catholic education by the local population. The school belongs to the
Congregation of Missionary Carmelitane Sisters of Saint Therese of
Jesus Child. The school is open to families that take care of the
religious education and formation of their children. Preparation for
the ISS radio contact has been underway for a long time, including
educational projects on different scientific topics to support the
special event.
Istituto Salesiano Villa Sora
Villa Sora is located on the side of the ancient Roman boulevard
(now Via Tuscolana) in an area known as Tusculanus ager, which is
full of sumptuous villas, including those of Cicero, Lucullus and
Sulpicius Galba. This villa was built as a country house in the same
grounds of Lucullus` villa in the mid-16th century and it was
originally known as 'Torricella'. The earliest documentation of its
history dates back to 1546, when the Chapel of Sancta Sanctorum of
Rome owned the villa. The land currently measures over 6 acres and
includes, in addition to the house and the school, a large park with
several building lots.
The school of Villa Sora has a notable historical tradition. Since
1925, it has a primary school and a liceo classico. The liceo
scientifico was founded in 1966 and in 1986 its admission was opened
to girls. In 1989, the middle school was created, and finally, in
2011, a new liceo economico sociale was founded. The middle school
now has 200 students divided in three classes. The liceo classico has
180 students, the liceo scientifico 280 and the liceo economico
sociale 80, for a total of 740 students.
The space conversation was conducted in Italian. The following 20
questions were answered by Samantha Cristoforetti as well as
greetings and wishes before LOS. This was amazing as Samantha
responded very exhaustively and with many details.
Translation:
1. The time of the re-entry into the atmosphere seems to be less
evolved. There are studies underway to modify or change this stage?
2. How long does it take to arrive on the international space station?
3. What is the equipment of the astronaut during extra vehicular
activity?
4. What kind of material is made the surface that covers the lower
part of the spacecraft re-entry?
5. How many km / h you travel to reach the international space
station?
6. The extra vehicular activities that you will do will umbilical or
free? What goals and how they will be held?
7. How does the deceleration during re-entry?
8. The control of the flight on the Soyuz is automatic or are you a
pilot?
9. How does the return to the international space station after an
extra vehicular activity?
10. After take-off part of the missile is dispersed in space?
11. Which angle is formed between the trajectory of the spacecraft
and the Earth's surface during re-entry? What are the risks an
angle of re-entry is not correct?
12. Samantha, you are the first Italian woman to do extra vehicular
activity. What are your feelings and what your concerns about it?
13. What happens to take off when passing through the Earth's
atmosphere?
14. During the return to earth, how much gravitational force suffer
the astronauts?
15. There is the possibility of accidents during extra vehicular
activity?
16. When it takes off there is a lot of turbulence?
17. Why do astronauts after the mission should go in quarantine?
What happens at the neurological level?
18. How do you prepare for extra vehicular activity? What is the
training and simulations?
19. It was more exciting to enter into the international space
station or the time of takeoff?
20. How do you manage to fit into a specific point on the earth,
without risk to human life and the environment?
ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering
the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA,
CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from
participating countries.
ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the
excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers
onboard the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and
communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS
can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology and learning.
[ANS thanks Gaston ON4WF and Francesco IK0WGF, ARISS for the above
information]
ARISS News
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
Richmond Heights Middle School, Miami, FL, anticipates a direct
contact via W1HQL, scheduled for Thursday 2015-01-15 16:09:40 UTC.
Because this is a reschedule due to the delay of the SpaceX resupply
mission timing depends on the the school confirming availability. As
of press time, ARISS was still awaiting word of the confirmation. The
downlink should be audible across the SE USA. The contact will be
held in English and is scheduled to be with Samantha Cristoforetti
IZØUDF using the callsign NA1SS.
RICHMOND HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Richmond Heights Middle School opened its doors in 1963 in the
Richmond Heights community in southwest Miami, Florida. The now 50
year old school, is located in a historic African American Community.
An army captain by the name of Frank C. Martin believed it to be a
wise investment as well as the right thing to do to establish a
housing development in which Black veterans of WWII could purchase
their own home. There are currently 636 students and a teaching
staff of 41 faculty members. Along with its exemplary athletics
program, full time gifted program, and Cambridge program, Richmond
Heights Middle School offers a Zoology Magnet program to the students
of Miami Dade County Public Schools. This is an extremely unique
magnet program that is one of only three in the nation. The zoology
magnet is a result of a partnership with Zoo Miami, the Zoological
Society of Florida and Richmond Heights Middle School. It has been
in existence since 1988. Students have the unique opportunity to
visit the zoo to study the animals within their exhibits while
engaging in STEM fields of study.
BIOTECH @ RICHMOND HEIGHTS 9-12 HIGH SCHOOL
BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 9-12 High School is the only Conservation
Biology public magnet high school is the United States and boasts
three campuses: our educational center at Richmond Campus, our
Research Station at Zoo Miami, and our Botanical Outpost at Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden. BioTECH provides students with a
challenging and advanced level math and science curriculum focused on
Conservation Biology that exposes them to rigorous STEM coursework as
well as research opportunities with practicing scientists in state-of-
the-art laboratories. In classes taken on-site at Zoo Miami,
students study the human impact on biological diversity, making
BioTECH the only school in the country to offer a full research and
teaching facility within zoo grounds. Research experiences are
offered in collaboration with the local zoo and the local research
and botanic garden. BioTECH is currently home to 130 students that
travel within the boundaries of a 467 square mile area to attend this
unique school. The school opened its doors in August 2014 with a
total of 8 faculty members, 7 support staff members, and an arsenal
of practicing scientists and conservation educators from Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden, Zoo Miami, Zoological Society of Florida,
Everglades National Park, The Dumond Conservancy, and Biscayne
National Park.
The following is the list of the anticipated questions:
1. How would astronauts combat disease, say an accidental infection
by a Salmonella culture, given the increased virulence of
microbes in space?
2. What kind of work is the crew doing in support of the future
missions to Mars?
3. We have a 3D printer in our school. What are the future
implications of having a 3D printer on-board? What types of
prints will you create?
4. Does experiencing a sunrise/sunset every 90 minutes change your
sleep/wake cycles?
5. Do you feel physical exhaustion in space at the end of your work
day? How long is your work day?
6. Without gravity, how do plants, such as Arabidopsis, determine
orientation germination? Geotropism what do roots do? Do plants
on the ISS grow in all different directions?
7. Do you feel stressed on the space station? How do you cope with
stress on a space station and does it have more or less of an
effect on your immune system in space? Measure muscle
conditioning?
8. How are astronaut diets altered to accommodate the changes to
the digestive system in microgravity?
9. All work and no play can be boring. What do you do for fun up
in space?
10. How do you keep from feeling trapped in the space station?
11. What role did your education play in becoming an astronaut?
12. Which teacher influenced you the most in your life and why?
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
+ CQ To Combine Jan/Feb 2015 Issues
(Hicksville, NY, January 9, 2015) -- CQ magazine today announced
that it will be publishing a combined January/February 2015 issue and
will be ceasing publication of its "CQ Plus" digital edition
supplement as of the March 2015 issue. Both moves are intended to
help restore the magazine's normal schedule for its print edition and
to strengthen its foundations moving forward as it enters its eighth
decade of publication, said Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA. "These
decisions were not made lightly," he added, "but in recognition of
the realities of the publishing industry. It's a tough time to be in
the magazine business, and we appreciate the patience and loyalty of
both our readers and our advertisers."
CQ will continue to publish both print and digital editions, but the
digital edition will no longer contain the 50-60 additional pages
each month that constituted "CQ Plus." Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU,
noted that he hopes to include some former CQ Plus content within the
pages of CQ, but says ham radio will remain the magazine's primary
focus, as it has been for the past seven decades. CQ is marking its
70th anniversary of publication as of its January/February issue.
As a consequence of the changes, CQ Plus Editor Richard Fisher,
KI6SN, will be leaving the CQ staff after serving for many years as a
columnist for, and then as editor of, Popular Communications,
WorldRadio Online and CQ Plus. He was also CQ magazine's Emergency
Communications Editor. "We will miss Richard's many contributions to
CQ's products," noted Moseson, "and thank him for his many years of
service to our readers."
Subscribers to both the print and digital editions of CQ will have
their subscriptions extended by one month due to the combined
January/February issue.
CQ <www.cq-amateur-radio.com> is the world's leading independent
amateur radio magazine, serving the amateur radio community worldwide
since 1945. It is published in three languages (English, Spanish and
Portuguese) and in both print and digital formats.
[ANS thanks Rich Moseson, W2VU, CQ Magazine for the above information]
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/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,
EMike McCardel, KC8YLD
kc8yld at amsat dot org
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans