AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-039
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:
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2015 – Call For Speakers
* Navassa K1N Satellite Operation Supported by AMSAT-NA
* Successful Contact For ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF
With Two Schools In Italy
* AMSAT-BR Forms in Brazil
* AMSAT SKN 2015 BEST FIST WINNERS
* AESP-14 CubeSat Team Requesting Receiving Assistance
* AMSAT at 2015 Orlando Hamcation
* Palm Springs HamFest - March 14
* NASA Announces University CubeSat Space Mission Candidates
* 2015 NASA Academy
* AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-039.01
ANS-039 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 039.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
DATE February 8, 2015
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-039.01
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AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2015 – Call For Speakers
This is the first call for speakers for the AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2015
which will be held from Saturday, July 25 to Sunday, July 26 2015 at
the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XZ, United Kingdom.
http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2015/
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 subsequent publishing on
the AMSAT-UK web site. 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 web site.
Submissions should be sent *ONLY* to G4DPZ, via the following routes:
e-mail: dave at g4dpz dot me dot uk
Postal address at http://www.qrz.com/db/G4DPZ
AMSAT-UK also invite anyone with requests for Program Topics to submit
them as soon as possible to G4DPZ. Invitations for any papers on
specific subjects will be included in the future call. Likewise if
anyone knows of a good speaker, please send contact and other
information to G4DPZ.
[ANS thanks Dave, G4DPZ and AMSAT-UK for the above information]
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Navassa K1N Satellite Operation Supported by AMSAT-NA
AMSAT Vice President Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA reported on his
work to enable amateur satellite operation via FO-29 by the K1N Navassa
Island DXpedition. To support operation on the linear passband of FO-29,
Drew said AMSAT provided a Yaesu FT-817 radio and associated equipment, pass
predictions, operational plan, and training. Operation in the linear
passband of FO-29 maximizes the number of contacts possible.
The K1N satellite operator is Gregg, W6IZT although others may also
participate. Gregg will be operating half-duplex with the Yaesu FT-817
(provided by AMSAT) and an Arrow antenna. Gregg has pass prediction
information for FO-29 and SO-50, for all passes that are 20 degrees or
higher at the island (thanks to John K8YSE for preparing those). While the
focus will be on FO-29, it is possible they may try SO-50 as well. Gregg
mentioned to Drew that satellite operations are more likely in the second
half of the expedition as opposed to the first half.
Drew described the satellite operating configuration:
+ The radio is programmed with 5 split-band memory channels
for SO-50.
+ The VFOs are programmed for FO-29 operation with a fixed uplink
of 145.980, for a downlink at 435.813 to 435.827 depending on
Doppler shift.
+ IMPORTANT NOTE - Gregg will be tuning his receive for replies,
and may not be listening directly on his own downlink. Calling
while he is transmitting will not work since he is half-duplex.
(This is much the same way other rovers such as KL7R and UT1FG
operate. This particular frequency scheme was chosen to reduce
QRM (both given and received). This also allows a quick tune
to the beacon for antenna pointing when there are not many callers.
+ Two high quality LMR-240UF jumpers to connect directly to the
Arrow antenna via the front and back antenna ports.
In conclusion, Drew said, "Gregg has my email and cell phone number. I have
asked him to alert me if possible, no matter the hour, when they decide to
get on FO-29, which I will pass along to the amsat-bb list and the AMSAT
twitter feed immediately."
The team is still in need of financial help for the expedition. Please
consider helping them out at:
http://69.89.25.185/~trexsoft/t-rexs...k1n/donate.htm
The main Navassa DXpedition website can be viewed at:
http://www.navassadx.com
FO-29 Frequencies
-----------------
Uplink Passband: 146.000 - 145.900 MHz Analog CW/SSB
Downlink Passband: 435.800 - 435.900 MHz Analog CW/SSB
Beacon: 435.795 MHz
SO-50 Frequencies
-----------------
Uplink: 145.850 MHz FM 67.0 Hz CTCSS tone for access
Downlink: 436.795 MHz FM
[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA for the above information]
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Successful Contact For ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF
With Two Schools In Italy
Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 08:39 UTC, 09:39 local time, students
at "Istituto Salesiano G. Bearzi� in Udine and Intercultura students
at "Centro Giovanno XXIII" in Frascati, Roma, Italy established ARISS
contact with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZØUDF onboard the
International Space Station. These were telebridge contacts performed
by Amateur radio ground stations K6DUE, located in Maryland, USA.
Presentation Istituto Salesiano “G. Bearzi�
Brief description of the school and the amateur radio school club
(if there is one): The school is a salesian school with 750 students,
from 6 to 20 years old. We have also a small hostel for college
students.
Presentation of Intercultura
Intercultura is the Italian representative of AFS Intercultural
Programs (New York, an international, no profit, voluntary based
organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities and
cultural exchange programs throughout more than 60 different
countries in the world, involving every year 13.000 students and an
equivalent number of families and schools. In Italy, Intercultura is
a no profit organization (Onlus) recognized by the Italian
government, under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The professional staff of Intercultura is made by 40 people who work
in the headquarter of Colle Val D’Elsa (Siena) or in the PR offices
based in Milan and Rome. The 4.000 affiliated volunteers are
organized in 150 local chapters and offer voluntary work to promote
international school based exchange programs.
Mentor Francesco De Paolis IK0WGF proposed to the radio coordinators
Mr. Antonio Baldin IW3QKU and Mr. Emanuele D'Andria IØELE the sharing
of event and this was accepted. A phone conference call allowed the
full sharing of the event between two contact sites involved,
moderated by Mr. Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ. The sequence of questions was
made alternately by the students at two contact sites involved.
Contact was established at 08:39 UTC, 09:39 local time with NA1SS
via K6DUE. ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUDF answered 12
questions by students.
Samantha Cristoforetti was really very accurate in giving the
answers and full of details. Signals from the ISS were good during
both ISS passes, but suffering a few moments of fading.
Regional and Local Televisions and newspapers covered the event.
About 500 students, parents, visitors and media attended the events
at contact sites.
After the contact, Mrs. Rosa Tagliamonte and Mr. Salvatore
Pignataro by ASI (Italian Space Agency) presented Cristoforetti
mission and Italian contribution to International Space Station. Mr.
Emanule D'Andria IØELE presented ARISS and explained how a contact
with the ISS is performed via Ham Radio.
The contact established with NA1SS was live on AMSAT Italia channel:
http://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia
The event was announced on ESA Portal - National News:
http://www.esa.int/ita/ESA_in_your_c...uto_dalla_Terr
a_in_tutte_le_lingue_del_mondo._Samantha_Cristofor etti_parla_con_gli_s
tudenti_di_Intercultura_e_di_Udine
Congratulations to IW3QKU and IØELE Teams!
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
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AMSAT-BR Forms in Brazil
A new AMSAT group, AMSAT-BR, has been formed in Brazil in order to better
organize the Brazilian amateur satellite activities, to better represent the
amateur radio community to organizations developing cubesat projects, and to
attract more amateurs in different regions of the country to join our cause.
AMSAT-BR has formed as a special interest group under the Liga de Amadores
Brasileiros de Radio Emissão (LABRE), the national organization with the
mission to represent the amateur radio community in Brazil. LABRE is
registered as a member society of the International Amateur Radio Union
(IARU).
Orlando Perez Filho, PT2OP, the Executive Director of LABRE sent a letter to
AMSAT-NA in which he described the primary mission of AMSAT-BR will be:
+ To foster activities related to development, building,
operating, and monitoring amateur radio satellites and
high altitude balloons.
+ To foster activities using amateur radio satellites and
high altitude balloons in STEM education.
Mr. Filho noted that collaboration with cubesat projects in Brazil gave
LABRE the opportunity to learn more about their missions and opened doors to
show them that there were some needs for better alignment with the amateur
radio service objectives and at the same time demonstrate that there are
benefits for them to get involved with the amateur radio community. LABRE
volunteered to assist some projects with the IARU frequency coordination
applications leading to cubesats with significant amateur radio involvement:
+ AESP-14: A 1U educational cubesat launched to the ISS in January
and deployed on February 5, 2015. The AESP-14 primary mission is
to test a cubesat structure, power system, and OBC developed
locally by space systems engineering students in Brazil. The
project includes an amateur radio experiment in the form of
reception contest where pre-defined text strings will be stored
on board the spacecraft and will be randomly transmitted. The
experiment was conceptualized by PY2DGS, PY2ADN, PY2JF, PY2NI,
PY2UEP, and PY2SDR.
+ NCBR1: A 1U scientific cubesat using the ISIS structure and
electronics. Amateurs have assisted the project with the reception
and monitoring. It is being contemplated a closer collaboration
with the amateur radio community for the next project (NCBR2). It
is hoped that NCBR2 will include an amateur radio experiment. The
main collaborators with the project are PV8DX, PY4ZBZ and PY2SDR.
+ ITASAT-1: A 6U educational cubesat being developed by engineering
students at the Aeronautics Technology Institute (ITA). The cubesat
will include a short text messaging store-and-forward transponder
being developed by amateurs. Amateurs are also working with some
high schools to use the satellite in STEM education. The experi-
ment is being developed by PY2UEP, and PY2SDR.
+ 14BISat: A 2U educational cubesat being developed by engineering
students at Fluminense Federal Technology Institute in Rio de
Janeiro. PV8DX has been collaborating with the project with the
design and implementation of ground stations that will be
deployed to other educational institutes around the country.
+ AESP-16: A 1U educational cubesat being considered for 2016.
Amateurs have been offered to include an amateur radio payload (TBD).
An additional, welcome outcome of the ongoing collaboration is that some
students have already become interested in amateur radio and have obtained
their amateur radio license. Some projects are even requiring that students
that will operate the station get their amateur radio license as a
prerequisite for participating in the project.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-BR and AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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AMSAT SKN 2015 BEST FIST WINNERS
Many thanks to all who participated in AMSAT's Straight Key Night on
OSCAR 2015, this year's event held in memory of Captain Charles
(Chuck) Dorian, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired), W3JPT.
Activity was good despite the loss of VO-52. Our thanks to Jim
Heck, G3WGV, and AMSAT-UK for keeping AO-73 in transponder mode
during AMSAT SKN. AO-73 proved to be quite popular.
The following participants each received at least one Best Fist
nomination from someone they worked:
AA5PK, JA1VVH, JA3PXH, JL1SAM, JM1LRA, JR0EFE, K9CIS, KT0F, N3TE,
N5AFV, WA6ARA, WB5KBH, XE3ARV
Congratulations to all!
We hope you will participate in AMSAT SKN on OSCAR 2016, which will
mark the 25th year that AMSAT has sponsored this fun event.
[ANS thanks Ray, W2RS for the above information]
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AESP-14 CubeSat Team Requesting Receiving Assistance
On Thursday, February 5 the Brazilian satellite AESP-14 was deployed from
the International Space Station (ISS) but so far no signals have been heard.
The AESP-14 telemetry beacon has a power output of 500 mW and uses AX.25 on
437.600 MHz with 9600 bps GMSK modulation (G3RUH standard). It should have
started transmitting 30 minutes after deployment but as of Thursday night
nothing had been heard. It may be the battery did not survive several months
without being recharged or the antenna may have failed to deploy.
The AESP-14 team would like to ask the help of radio amateurs around the
world to forward any received telemetry frames back to the team. For this,
please save the AX.25 frames in KISS format and forward the file to
. The satellite was sent to the ISS as cargo on the SpaceX
Falcon 9 mission CRS-5. Launch had been scheduled for December 16, 2014 but
was postponed three times and it wasn't until January 10, 2015 that the
launch eventually took place. Since arriving at the ISS on January 12
AESP-14 has been awaiting deployment by the JEM Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD)
which is in the Japanese Kibo module.
The satellite has an amateur radio experiment developed by the Americana
Amateur Radio Club (CRAM). The experiment consists of the random
transmission of 100 sequences of ASCII characters prefixed with the "CRAM"
word that will used as part of a contest among receiving stations. The first
10 amateur radio stations that complete receiving the 100 sequences will be
awarded a commemorative diploma.
Further details at
http://wabicafe.com.br/aesp14/cram.php
AESP-14 website
http://www.aer.ita.br/~aesp14
[ANS thanks the AESP-14 Team and the Southgate ARC for the above
information]
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AMSAT at 2015 Orlando Hamcation
The 2015 Orlando Hamcation - Orlando, FL is scheduled for Friday,
February 13
through Sunday, February 15 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 West
Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32808.
AMSAT will be represented all three days at two adjacent booths in the
Commercial 1 main entrance building. John Papay, K8YSE will be on hand
operating the sats via his remote and rover stations along with other
satellite
demos. The ARISSat-1 working demo satellite will be on display along
with the
Fox-1 Engineering model.
There will be an AMSAT forum held on Saturday from 12:30 till 1:30
ending with
a prize drawing for those attending. Hamcation just gets bigger and better
every year, so please join us for a great weekend.
[ANS thanks Dave, AA4KN and the AMSAT Hamcation Team for the above
information]
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Palm Springs HamFest - March 14
The 2015 Palm Springs Hamfest will once again be held at the
beautiful Palm Springs Pavilion, near the Palm Springs Baseball
Stadium, Saturday, March 14 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year’s
hamfest will offer a VE testing session before the opening of the
regular event.
Admission: Still just $5 - with free parking available.
Where else can you get a day’s worth of entertainment for that?
Forums include ...
• Keynote by Gordon West
• Andre Hansen presents on Broadband Hamnet
• Dennis Kidder ("Arduino Projects for Amateur Radio") will talk
about Maker Faire
• Clint Bradford will present “How to Work the Amateur Satellites
with your HT�
• Bob Brehm, Chief Engineer at Palomar Engineers will present on
curing RFI, working more DX and keeping your neighbors happy
Visit the event's Web site at ...
http://www.palmspringshamfest.com
[ANS thanks Clint, K6LCS for the above information]
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NASA Announces University CubeSat Space Mission Candidates
NASA has selected more than dozen small research satellites that each could
fit in the palm of your hand to fly in space on future rocket launches.
These cube-shaped nanosatellites, called CubeSats, which measure about four
inches on each side and weigh less than three pounds, are small but pack an
outsized research punch. They will enable unique technology demonstrations,
education research and science missions, and will study topics ranging from
how the solar system formed to the demonstration of a new radiation-tolerant
computer system.
The 14 CubeSats selected are from 12 states and will fly as auxiliary
payloads aboard rockets planned to launch in 2016, 2017 and 2018. They come
from universities across the country, non-profit organizations and NASA
field centers.
As part of the White House Maker Initiative, NASA is seeking to leverage the
growing community of space-enthusiasts to create a nation that contributes
to NASA’s space exploration goals. In the first step to broaden this
successful initiative to launch 50 small satellites from all 50 states in
the next five years, the agency has made a selection from West Virginia, one
of the 21 "rookie states" that have not previously been selected by the
CubeSat Launch Initiative.
The selections are part of the fifth round of the agency's CubeSat Launch
Initiative. The selected spacecraft are eligible for placement on a launch
manifest after final negotiations, depending on the availability of a flight
opportunity. The organizations sponsoring satellites are:
+ Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Asteroid Origins Satellite is a science laboratory that will be the world’s
first CubeSat centrifuge. It will enable a unique set of science and
technology experiments to be performed on a CubeSat to answer fundamental
questions of how the solar system formed and understand the surface dynamics
of asteroids and comets.
+ California State University, Northridge, California
The mission of California State University Northridge Satellite is to test
an innovative low temperature capable energy storage system in space
developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena that will enable
future missions, especially those in deep space to do more science while
requiring less energy, mass and volume.
+ Capitol Technology University, Laurel, Maryland
The Coordinated Applied Capitol Technology University Satellite (CACTUS-1)
is a technological demonstration of a cost-saving communications and
commanding innovation. The payload will lower investment in communications
and ground systems technology by licensing conventional internet satellite
providers for low earth orbit use. The CubeSat’s aerogel-based Particle
Capture and Measurement instrument is the first CubeSat-based orbital debris
detector to be flown in low-Earth orbit.
+ Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
The Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems – Demonstrator
(TEMPEST-D) provides risk mitigation for the TEMPEST mission that will
provide the first temporal observations of cloud and precipitation processes
on a global scale. These observations are important to understand the
linkages in and between Earth’s water and energy balance, as well as to
improve our understanding of cloud model microphysical processes that are
vital to climate change prediction.
+ Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
KickSat-2 is a CubeSat technology demonstration mission designed to
demonstrate the deployment and operation of prototype Sprite “ChipSats�
(femtosatellites). The Sprite is a tiny spacecraft that includes power,
sensor and communication systems on a printed circuit board measuring 3.5 by
3.5 centimeters with a thickness of a few millimeters and a mass of a few
grams. ChipSats could enable new kinds of science and exploration missions,
as well as dramatically lower the cost of access to space.
+ Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
A Satellite Demonstration of a Radiation Tolerant System, RadSat, is a
technology demonstration of a new radiation tolerant computer system in a
low-Earth orbit satellite mission to demonstrate a technology readiness
level 9 of the technology.
+ NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
The Advanced eLectrical Bus (ALBus) CubeSat is a technology demonstration
mission of an advanced, digitally controlled electrical power system
capability and novel use of shape memory alloy technology for reliable
deployable solar array mechanisms. The goals of the mission are to
demonstrate efficient battery charging in the orbital environment, 100 Watt
distribution to a target electrical load, flexible power system distribution
interfaces, adaptation of power system control on orbit and successful
deployment of solar arrays and antennas using resettable shape memory alloy
mechanisms.
+ NASA's Independent Verification &Validation Program, Fairmont, West
Virginia
In partnership with the University of West Virginia, the
Simulation-to-Flight 1 (STF-1) mission will demonstrate the utility of the
NASA Operational Simulator technologies across the CubeSat development
cycle, from concept planning to mission operations. It will demonstrate a
highly portable simulation and test platform that allows seamless transition
of mission development artifacts to flight products.
+ Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio
The CubeSat mission to study Solar Particles over the Earth’s Poles (CuSPP)
mission is space weather mission that will study the sources and
acceleration mechanisms of solar and interplanetary particles near-Earth
orbit. It will study magnetospheric ion precipitation in the high-latitude
ionosphere. It will increase the technology readiness level of a
supra-thermal ion spectrograph concept so that it may fly with reduced risk
and cost on future heliophysics missions.
+ University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida (2 CubeSats)
The CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment (Cu-PACE) will
perform a long-duration microgravity experiments in orbit to observe novel
low-speed collisions in greater numbers than possible in ground-based,
parabolic and suborbital flight experiments.
+ SurfSat is a science investigation that will measure plasma-induced
surface charging and electrostatic discharge measurements. It will take
in-situ measurements of the ground current waveforms from chosen common
spacecraft dielectric material samples, measure the spacecraft and material
potentials and will use a Langmuir probe system to measure the ambient
plasma environment.
+ University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (2 CubeSats)
The Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment (MiTEE) will use CubeSat
capabilities to deploy a picosatellite body of approximately 8 cm × 8 cm × 2
cm from a 3U CubeSat to demonstrate and assess an ultra-small satellite
electrodynamics tether in the space environment where the fundamental
dynamics and plasma electrodynamics. The miniature electrodynamics tethers,
which are a few meters long, have the potential to provide propellantless
propulsion, passive two-axis attitude stabilization and enhanced
communication utility to the next generation of small satellites.
The Tandem Beacon Experiment (TBEx) will consist of a tandem pair of
CubeSats, each carrying tri-frequency radio beacons, in near identical, low
inclination orbits and a cluster of diagnostic sensors on five islands in
the Central Pacific sector. The science objectives and goals of TBEx are to
study how the dynamics and processes in the troposphere can act to cause
variability in the behavior of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
+ University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota
The Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) mission aims to reduce
mission risk and cost for universities, researchers and other spacecraft
developers through the creation of an open-hardware/open-source software
framework for CubeSat development. The designs use low-cost commercial
off-the-shelf parts and easily-to-fabricate printed circuit boards that can
be made using the budget of $5,000 in parts for a basic spacecraft.
In the previous five rounds of the CubeSat Launch Initiative, 114 CubeSats
from 29 states were selected. To date, 36 CubeSats have launched through the
initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational
Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) Program. This year, four separate ELaNa
missions will carry seven CubeSats.
The full NASA press release can be accessed at:
http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-ann...sat-space-miss
ion-candidates/
[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]
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2015 NASA Academy
The NASA Academy offers a 10-week summer experience for college students
with emphasis on immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and
training. Activities include laboratory research, a group project, lectures,
meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and
space-related industries, and technical presentations. Students learn how
NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories,
and participate in leadership development and team-building activities.
The sites for the NASA Academy include the following NASA centers:
-- NASA Space Academy at Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center and
Marshall Space Flight Center, with emphasis on space exploration.
-- NASA Aeronautics Academy at Ames Research Center, Armstrong Flight
Research Center, and Glenn Research Center, for students with career
aspirations in aeronautics.
-- NASA Propulsion Academy at Marshall Space Flight Center, for those with
interest in propulsion careers.
-- NASA Robotics Academy at Ames Research Center and Marshall Space Flight
Center, with emphasis on robotics.
To be eligible to apply to any of the NASA Academy opportunities, students
must be rising juniors or seniors at the undergraduate level or be at the
early graduate level in an accredited U.S. college or university.
Applications are due Feb. 15, 2015.
For more information and to apply online, visit
https://academy.grc.nasa.gov/application-information/.
Note: Applicants must also create a student profile at
http://intern.nasa.gov.
Questions about NASA Academy should be directed to
.
[ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message for Feb. 5, 2015 for the
above information]
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AMSAT Events
Information about AMSAT activities at other important events around
the country. Examples of these events are radio club meetings where
AMSAT Area Coordinators give presentations, demonstrations of working
amateur satellites, and hamfests with an AMSAT presence (a table with
AMSAT literature and merchandise, sometimes also with presentations,
forums, and/or demonstrations).
*Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 13-15 February 2015 - Orlando HAMCATION
at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando,
Florida
*Saturday, 14 February 2015 – presentation for the Greater Los Angeles
Mensa Regional Gathering 2015 in Los Angeles CA (Concourse Hotel at
Los Angeles International Airport)
*Friday and Saturday, 20-21 February 2015 – Yuma Hamfest in Yuma AZ
(Yuma County Fairgrounds, 32nd Street between Pacific Avenue &
Avenue 3E, south of I-8 exit 3)
*Saturday, 7 March 2015 – Irving Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in
Irving TX (west of Dallas)
*Friday and Saturday, 13-14 March 2015 – Green Country Hamfest in
Claremore OK (northeast of Tulsa)
*Saturday, 14 March 2015 – Science City 2015/Tucson Festival of Books
in Tucson AZ (on the University of Arizona Main Mall)
*Friday and Saturday, 20-21 March 2015 – Acadiana Hamfest in Rayne LA
(west of Lafayette)
*Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Weatherford Hamfest in Weatherford TX (west
of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex)
*Saturday, 21 March 2015 – Scottsdale Amateur Radio Club Hamfest in
Scottsdale AZ (northeast of Phoenix, near AZ-101/Princess Drive)
*Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Greater Houston Hamfest and 2015 ARRL Texas
State Convention in Rosenberg TX (southwest of Houston)
*Saturday, 28 March 2015 – Tucson Spring Hamfest in Tucson AZ (22nd
Street, east of Columbus Blvd.)
*Friday, 3 April 2015 – presentation for the Associated Radio Amateurs
of Long Beach in Signal Hill CA (Signal Hill Community Center)
*Friday, 17 April 2015 – presentation for the Oro Valley Amateur Radio
Club in Tucson AZ
*Friday through Sunday, 1-3 May 2015 – ARRL Nevada State Convention in
Reno NV (Boomtown Casino Hotel)
*Saturday, 2 May 2015 – Cochise Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in
Sierra Vista AZ
*Thursday, 14 May 2015 – presentation for the Escondido Amateur Radio
Society in Escondido CA
*Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 15-17 2015, Dayton Hamvention in
Dayton OH (Hara Arena)
*Saturday, 6 June 2015 – White Mountain Hamfest in Show Low AZ
*Friday and Saturday, 12-13 June 2015 – HAM-COM in Irving TX (west of
Dallas)
*Friday and Saturday, 7-8 August 2015 – Austin Summerfest in Austin TX
*Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 16-18 2015, AMSAT Symposium in
Dayton OH (Dayton Crown Plaza)
[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for the above information]
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ARISS News
* An ARISS contact with schools in Italy was successful on Saturday, January
31, 2015. This was a telebridge contact with Istituto Salesiano “G.
Bearzi� in
Udine and Intercultura Onlus in Milano, relayed through ground station
K6DUE in
Greenbelt, Maryland. Contact was established at 08:39 UTC, 09:39 local time
with NA1SS.The astronaut was Samantha Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF, using the ISS
callsign NA1SS. Cristoforetti answered a total of 13 questions from the
students. The contact was covered by NHK TV with 500 spectators in
attendance.
(See above article)
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule
* A contact with students at W.T. Sampson (DoD school), Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba,is scheduled for Wed 2015-02-11 15:58:00 UTC 34 deg. The contact
will be
via telebridge via IK1SLD with astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti IZØUD.
WT Sampson Unit School is a K-12 DoDDS (Department of Defense Dependents
Schools) school located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Our school provides
education
opportunities for GTMO’s students from Sure Start through 12th grade. Our
students are primarily the children of military and civilian families
stationed
here at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
We are accredited by the North Central Association, Commission on
Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). NCA CASI is part of the
unified organization AdvancED whose focus is to help member schools
continually
improve student performance and school conditions. Our mission is to
educate,
engage, and empower each student to succeed in a dynamic world. We
envision a
technologically sophisticated learning environment, supported by our
families
and community, where all students attain their highest levels of success.
Where understanding and appreciating diversity is an integral part of the
learning process; thereby, empowering all students to become physically,
mentally, and emotionally healthy citizens of the global community.
Although officially designated as a Unit School, WT Sampson is actually
located on two separate campuses about 2 miles apart. Currently, there are
approximately 130 students at the elementary school (SS through 5th
grade) and
90 students (6th through 12th grade) at the secondary campus. Despite our
small size, WT Sampson provides all students with the highest quality of
education and a safe environment. The dedicated and highly qualified
faculty
remains focused on the mission, vision, and philosophy of our school.
[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]
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Satellite Shorts From All Over
New Webcast - Amateur Radio Round Table
All are invited to Amateur Radio Round Table, a new series of
W5KUB.com weekly webcasts. The webcast will be Tuesday nights at
8:00 PM Central Time (0200 UTC Wednesdays) at W5KUB.COM
Amateur Radio Round Table will be an informal discussion of all
aspects of ham radio with the intent of allowing viewers to watch
this live webcast or be a guest via Skype or Google Hangout.
To watch Amateur Radio Round Table: Go to w5kub.com, click on Live
Events and sign in. If you have a W5KUB account, use your User Name
and Password. If you don’t have a W5KUB account, sign in with a
call or name without a password.
To be a guest on Amateur Radio Round Table: Send an email message
to . Prior to the show, you will be provided with
information needed to join the show.
Join for fun and interesting ham radio programming. See you on
the webcast
[ANS thanks Tom Medlin, W5KUB for the above information]
Fajr downlink in 70 cm band
The Iranian satellite Fajr (i.e. 'Dawn') was launched on 2015-02-02
just before 09:00 UTC from Semnan launch center with a Safir rocket.
The 50 kg satellite (40387, 2015-006A), Iran's fourth satellite, has
a cold gas thruster, so it can change its orbit. It carries a camera
for earth observations. It should have a telemetry downlink on
437.538 MHz and a command uplink in the 2 m band.
[ANS thanks Nico, PA0DLO for the above information]
Camera to record doomed ATV's disintegration - from inside
On Monday, February 9, ESA astronaut Samantha Christoforetti will float into
Europe’s space ferry to install a special infrared camera, set to capture
unique interior views of the spacecraft’s break-up on reentry.
“The battery-powered camera will be trained on the Automated Transfer
Vehicle’s forward hatch, and will record the shifting temperatures of the
scene before it,� explains Neil Murray, overseeing the project for ESA.
“Recording at 10 frames per second, it should show us the last 10 seconds or
so of the ATV. We don’t know exactly what we might see – might there be
gradual deformations appearing as the spacecraft comes under strain, or will
everything come apart extremely quickly?
“Our Break-Up Camera, or BUC, flying for the first time on this mission,
will complement NASA’s Reentry Break-up Recorder.
“Whatever results we get back will be shared by our teams, and should tell
us a lot about the eventual reentry of the International Space Station as
well as spacecraft reentry in general.�
Every mission of ESA’s ATV ferry ends in the same way – filled with Space
Station rubbish then burning up in the atmosphere, aiming at a designated
‘spacecraft graveyard’ in an empty stretch of the South Pacific.
But the reentry of this fifth and final ATV is something special. NASA and
ESA are treating it as an opportunity to gather detailed information that
will help future spacecraft reentries.
Accordingly, ATV-5 will be steered into a shallow descent compared to the
standard deorbit path.
This ATV’s fiery demise will be tracked with a battery of cameras and
imagers, on the ground, in the air and even from the Station itself, and
this time on the vehicle itself.
ESA’s camera will not survive the reentry, expected to occur some 80–70 km
up, but it is linked to the ‘SatCom’ sphere with a ceramic thermal
protection system to endure the searing 1500°C.
Once SatCom is falling free, it will transmit its stored data to any Iridium
communication satellites in view.
Plunging through the top of the atmosphere at around 7 km/s, it will itself
be surrounded by scorching plasma known to block radio signals, but the hope
is that its omnidirectional antenna will be able to exploit a gap in its
trail.
If not, signalling will continue after the plasma has cleared – somewhere
below 40 km altitude.
Japan’s i-Ball camera managed to gather images of its Station supply ferry
breaking up in 2012. Another i-Ball was planned to fly with ATV-5, but was
lost in the Antares rocket explosion last October.
The full story with photos can be found on the ESA web:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Sp.../Camera_to_rec
ord_doomed_ATV_s_disintegration_from_inside
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency 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,
Joe Spier, K6WAO
k6wao at amsat dot org
_______________________________________________
Via the ANS mailing list courtesy of AMSAT-NA
http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans