[amsat-bb] PCsat Life.

[Bob Bruninga <bruninga@xxxxxxxx>]

> How long is PCsat expected to stay up?  If/when it comes down are there
> plans to put another one up?

PCsat is in full sun and fully operational 24 hours a day through 22 Nov
(only 4 more days) and then it begins to enter eclipse cycles again where
it runs its batteries dead in the dark every orbit.  But it will remain
operational in the sun until the Nicads short.  Which after months of such
abuse will come soon...

PCsat will be in orbit for more than 100 years.  But we dont expect its
batteries  to last more than a few more weeks.  We invite every new
satellite to support a digipeater on 145.825 if such a mission is
compatible with their other missions so we have a continuous packet
digipeater on that frequency.

We have another Naval Academy satellite for next year that will operate on
the same 145.825 MHz digipeater frequency for about 1 year
on primary batteries.  It has no solar power, so when the 7000 Watt Hours
of batteries (112 Lithiums) die then it too will die.  It is called ANDE.
See the WEB page...

PCsat WEB  page     http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat.html
ANDE WEB Page:      http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande.html

de WB4APR


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