SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC1226 * SpaceNews 26-Dec-94 * BID: $SPC1226 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY DECEMBER 26, 1994 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited free distribution. * RS-15 IS READY FOR LAUNCH * ============================= Unofficial word from UA3CR indicates the next Radio Sputnik satellite, RS-15, is expected to be launched between 25-Dec-94 and 27-Dec-94. Some information regarding the transponders and orbital parameters follow: Name: RS-15 Launch: Rokot vehicle, refurbished SS-18. Baikonur Orbit: altitude 2300 km inclination 67 deg. Uplink: 145.857 - 145.897 MHz Downlink: 29.357 - 29.397 MHz, Power 5 W Beacon #1: 29.398 MHz, CW, Power 0.4 or 1.2 W Beacon #2: 29.353 MHz, CW, Power same as Beacon #1 BulBoard: 2 Kbytes, CW Antennas: Dipoles Weight: 70 kg Attitude: No space stabilization. Walt, KE3HP, used OrbiTrack for the Macintosh to generate the following set of pre-launch Keplerian elements for RS-15. He used Baiknour as the launch site and assumed that the launch will take place at 1200 UTC on December 25 (Merry Christmas!). Note that the epoch time and elements correspond to the first ascending node crossing after launch. Doppler shift is for the 10-meter beacon only. Satellite RS-15 predicted Catalog Number 99999 Int Des Epoch 94 359.57981592 12/25/94 13:54:56 UTC Drag2 0.00000000 Rev/Day^2 Drag3 0.0000e+00 Rev/Day^3 BStar 0.0000e+00 Ep Type 0 Element Set 0 Inclination 67.0000 Deg RAAN 311.4084 Deg Eccentricity 0.0001152 Argument of Perigee 360.0000 Deg Mean Anomaly 0.0000 Deg Mean Motion 10.73887722 Rev/Day Epoch Revolution 0 Semimajor Axis 8678.14 km Precession 1.3232 Deg West/Day Period 134.09 Min Apogee 2301.00 km 1429.77 sm 1242.44 nm Perigee 2299.00 km 1428.53 sm 1241.36 nm Ken Ernandes has computed an estimated rev 1 Earth-Fixed Greenwich (EFG) state vector for the the final orbit of RS-15. This vector was derived >From modeling based on the information provided: Launch: Rokot vehicle, refurbished SS-18. Baikonur. Orbit: altitude 2300 km inclination 67 degrees The modeling required a lot of assumptions to which Ken provided his best guess. The vector is referenced to launch time; the time of injection to the final orbit is estimated at approximately one hour after launch. The data between the dotted lines may be read directly by VEC2TLE to estimate the Keplerian Elements for RS-15 in NASA Two-Line (TLE) format. Since the vector is independent of launch time, you must provide VEC2TLE with launch time (estimated or actual) for it to compute the corresponding Keplerian Elements. Current information indicates launch is planned on 25-27 December 1994. Vector format = 10107 Satellite Name: RS-15 Catalog Number: 99915 Epoch MET: 0.04122685185 0/00:59:22.000 MET EFG E: -3825.843782 km F: -4622.137081 km G: -6269.672658 km Edot: 5.189101782 km/s Fdot: 0.948668235 km/s Gdot: -3.865842563 km/s ndot/2 (drag): 0.00000000208 rev/day^2 nddt/6: 0.00000E+00 rev/day^3 Bstar: 1.10925E-05 1/Earth Radii Elset #: 2 Rev @ Epoch: 1.64363267443 The VEC2TLE software is available from a variety of sources including AMSAT-NA, the NASA Spacelink BBS (205) 895-0028 and at the following Internet FTP addresses: oak.oakland.edu:/pub/msdos/hamradio/v2l9331.zip, and at pilot.njin.net in the /pub/SpaceNews/software sub-directory. VEC2TLE may be registered free of charge for hobby use. To create a file for use by VEC2TLE, simply write the data between the dotted lines to a new (text) file. Ken recommends that the file you save have a .VIF extension (default for VEC2TLE vector input files). * HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM MIR * ============================ The Cosmonauts on the Mir space station wish to pass along their best wishes for the holiday season. The following message was relayed by N6JLH who received it from Mir using Amateur packet radio: Posted : 94/12/18 21:02 To : ALL From : R0MIR @ BBS : BID : Subject: MERRY X-MAS ALL THE CREW OF THE SPACECOMPLEX "MIR" WISH ALL OF YOU MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. R0MIR - "VITYASI" [Info via N6JLH] * FO-20 ON MODE JA * ==================== The analog transponder on the Fuji-OSCAR-20 satellite was recently switched ON and is providing some good contacts between Europe and the eastern United States. I hope to see you on FO-20 Mode JA! * THANKS! * =========== Thanks to all those who sent messages of appreciation to SpaceNews, especially: IW1AM PA3FDQ W3PM KC6WSJ KB8FIR Frank Weissferdt ...and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! * FEEDBCK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Mail to SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the following paths: FAX : 1-908-747-7107 PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org -or- magliaco@pilot.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19 MAIL : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD Department of Engineering and Technology Advanced Technology Center Brookdale Community College Lincroft, New Jersey 07738 U.S.A. <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> /EX