Re: [amsat-bb] P3D/AO40 Contingency Plan

["Laura Jolley" <jolleybuckaroo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: "David M. Tipton, PhD" <tiptond@psi.com>
>To: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org
>Subject: [amsat-bb] P3D/AO40 Contingency Plan
>Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 11:47:05 -0600
>
>God forbid, but if AO-40 does not come back to life, are we to believe that
>it will take another 10 years to put another satellite up that would have
>the High Orbit characteristics?  It seems that unless you're a LEO junky
>(Like myself), most people would be swayed from getting into this aspect of
>the hobby.
>
>Please, no flames, just wondering.
>
>Dave, N8KXA
>
Howdy Dave.  Well if AO-40 doesnt come back (andone hopes it does...I 
certianly have the radios for it ready to go...grin) the issue will turn to 
what is next.

I guess that my comments (and I've posted some elsewhere) would be that 
instead of "large" do everything sats for the high orbits we should 
concentrate on small "lite" sats with fairly defined and tight goals and 
have more of them.

If AO-40 is toast it would be interesting I think to compare it to HST.  In 
the end what saved HST was the enormously deep pockets of the federal 
government.  BUT for what it takes just to operate HST the nation could 
every year have lots of IUE class telescopes in geo synch orbit or enormous 
ground based resources.

Having done and participated in a fair number of "complicated" projects it 
sort of seems that a long time ago this one got to complicated for the 
resources available to it AND begin to suck up to many resources.

I guess in the end I really dont think to much of the every hams 
satellite...ie one that is a turn the radio on, know little or nothing about 
tracking or whathave you (I mean how complicated is tracking programs these 
days.?  I remember OSCAR LOCATORS) and have to be workable with little 
antennas.

I confess I was mentally planning the microwave satellite installationon the 
pickup...but in the end I dont know that the capabilities justify the cost 
to the bird.

Oh well here is hoping that the bird turns on and all of this is useless 
musing...

Robert G. Oler WB5MZO...(Laura Jolley is my fiance)



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