SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0403
* SpaceNews 03-Apr-95 *
 
 
BID: $SPC0403
 
 
                               =========
                               SpaceNews
                               =========
 
 
                          MONDAY APRIL 3, 1995
 
 
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA.  It is
published every week and is made available for unlimited free distribution.
 
 
* LAUNCH FAILURE *
==================
Two amateur satellites were lost when their launch vehicle exploded. 
The Israeli-built GURWIN-1 Techsat and the Mexican UNAMSAT were part
of the payload of a Russian SS-25 rocket originally built to carry 
ballistic missiles and recently converted to launch satellites.  The 
Reuters News Agency said the rocket, which was launched from
Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, came down in the Russian Far East, in
the Sea of Okhotsk, on March 28.
 
Both satellites were designed for packet radio repeater use. 
GURWIN-1 Techsat was built at the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology in Haifa as a 9600-bit/s packet store-and-forward
satellite.  UNAMSAT was assembled by students at the Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.  In addition to
packet store-and-forward operation at 1200 bits per second, UNAMSAT
carried a unique "meteor radar" experiment.
 
Reuters noted that the 115-pound GURWIN-1 Techsat was a prototype
for communication satellites and "was to have been used by amateur 
radio enthusiasts."  Reuters did not mention UNAMSAT.  Two Russian
satellites also were lost in the failed launch. 
 
In November 1993 the first test launch of a converted SS-25 was 
successful, but with a lighter payload.  Radio amateurs,
particularly in Europe, have hoped that the Russian rockets will
provide an inexpensive way to launch amateur radio satellites. 
 
[Info via ARRL]
 
 
* SOFTWARE ANNOUNCEMENT * 
=========================
March 31, 1995
SatTrack V3.1 has been released.
 
SatTrack is a satellite orbit prediction and realtime tracking program with 
X Window System color graphics displays.  The program has been written in 
C language and runs on a number of different Unix and Linux systems with 
X11R5.  It not only displays in realtime where a number of satellites are
but is also capable of controlling suitable ground station equipment, like 
antennas or optical telescopes, and radio communications hardware. In the 
autotrack mode it switches between various satellites as they rise and set. 
Predictions of passes of satellites over specified ground stations can be 
run off either interactively or in batch mode. 
 
For detailed on-line information check the new SatTrack WWW Home Page at 
 
              http://ssl.berkeley.edu/isi_www/sattrack.html
 
The distribution file sattrack-3.1.tar.gz (or sattrack.V3.1.tar.gz) is also
available from:
 
              ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/Linux
              ftp.jnvc.net/priv/kupiec/sattrack
 
[Info via Manfred Bester (manfred@ssl.berkeley.edu)]
 
 
* MIR NEWS *
============
Miles, WF1F, reports that he had a nice chat with Astronaut Norman E.
Thagard on the Mir space station on 31-Mar-95.  Norman is trying to get on
the air as much as possible to chat with people, but there are a lot of
stations calling him out of turn.  This is causing lots of interference.
Miles suggests that stations wanting to talk with Norman should wait until
he is done talking to the specific station after which he will make the
announcement "CQ".  Astronaut Norman is not a "Contester".  He likes to
chat with each station for a 3 to 5 minutes before going on to the next
station.  Please respect his chosen QSO format.
 
Norman said the Russian crew is not keeping any type of call log, but if
you talk with Norman, he is keeping a log and will try to send you a
response card.  Note, however, that he will not be sending cards until
after he returns to earth with his log book.
 
Norman Thagard's QSL address is as follows:
 
        NASA                                            
        Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center                  
        Norman E. Thagard                       
        Mail code CB
        Houston, Texas  77058   
 
The Mir PMS packet station is working again, but some of the TNC parameters
are incorrectly set.  One of the bad parameters is the TX-Delay.  This is
preventing most stations from reliably connecting, unless conditions are
ideal.  Dave Larsen N6JLH, is currently working with Norman Thagard to fine
tune the PMS parameters.  It is requested that stations not try to access
the PMS Packet until all of the parameters on the Mir PMS have been properly
adjusted.  The work should be completed by April 7th.
 
 
* FEEDBACK/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