SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.01 YOUNG RESEARCHERS BEAT NASA TO THE PUNCH HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 26, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-147.01 Two young researchers have been researching a subject that interests many space professional, how magnetic rods can be used to stabilize a spacecraft in the magnetic field of the earth! Using data they collected from AMSAT's WEBERSAT amateur radio satellite, James Wedewer, KE6QNL, and Justin Hartung spent this school semester studying the motion of WEBERSAT over the magnetic poles of the earth and through the South Atlantic anomaly. Webersat, an AMSAT Microsat satellite is stabilized with four bar magnetic interacting with the magnetic field of the earth. Both researchers were looking for signs of nutation or wobble over the poles and in the anomaly. James used FFT analysis to quantify his results. After winning at their high school science fair, the youth took their work to the L.A. County science fair where Justin received honorable mention and James won first place in Physics and Astronomy. At the California State science fair, James won another first place in Physics and Space Science. Finally, James competed in the international Fair in Tucson where he won the prestigious Air Force first place medal, a Navy scholarship and placed fourth place in the Space Science division of the fair. At the international science fair, James competed against the best high school science fair projects from 40 countries. In all James won $4,750 in cash and scholarships. Justin is a freshman and James is a senior at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, California, a school well known for its student projects in Microsat satellite motion [ANS thanks Dace Reeves, , KF6PJ, for this bulletin.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.02 MIR 21 COSMONAUTS TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.02 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 26, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-147.02 U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid, now in her third month aboard the Russian MIR space station, will join Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yuri Usachev for a news conference at 9:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 28, from MIR. The news conference, which will be broadcast on NASA Television, will last 40 minutes and be divided into two parts; reporters at NASA centers will ask questions for the first 20 minutes before switching to the Russian Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad, where Russian reporters will ask questions for the last 20 minutes. The Russian portion of the news conference will be seen on NASA Television with English translation. NASA Television can be seen on Spacenet 2, Transponder 5, channel 9 with a frequency of 3880 MHz with audio on 6.8 MHz. Spacenet 2 is at an orbital position of 69 degrees West longitude. Polarization is horizontal. [ANS thanks Prof. Ron Long, W8GUS, for this update.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.03 SAREX FACT SHEET - STS-78 HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 26, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-147.03 Amateurs around the world will looking for U.S. Space Shuttle during mission, STS-78. This will be a SAREX mission and will, once again afford hams the opportunity to contact with the astronauts aboard Columbia. Some of these amateurs have volunteered to assist student groups that have prepared questions to ask the astronauts via ham radio. As all licensed amateurs know, to operate Amateur Radio from the space shuttle, one or more of the astronauts must have an Amateur license. In the case of STS-78, Astronaut Susan T. Helms, who will serve as the Payload Commander, has Amateur Radio call sign KC7NHZ. Her third shuttle flight, Helms was a crew member aboard the shuttle Endeavor during STS-54 in January 1993, and last used ham radio from aboard Discovery during STS-64 in September 1994. In addition, Charles E. Brady Jr. is N4BQW and will serve as a Mission Specialist on this, his first shuttle flight. Robert Brent Thirsk, a Canadian amateur, VA3CSA will serve as a Payload Specialist, also on his first shuttle flight. The remaining crew members include Commander Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Mission Specialist Richard M. Linnehan, and Payload Specialist Jean-Jacques Favier. During the mission, the shuttle will carry the Life and Microgravity Spacelab to conduct experiments in the weightless environment. Experimenters from around the world will conduct a wide variety of experiments from microgravity bubble behavior to protein crystallization. Experiments will also focus on the effects of weightlessness on human physiology and function. Amateur Radio has been flying aboard the shuttles since 1983, when Owen Garriot W5LFL became the first to operate an amateur station from space. Launch of STS-78 is scheduled for June 20, 1996 at 1449 UTC (10:49 AM EST) from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Landing is scheduled for July 6, 1996 at 1246 UTC (8:46 AM EST) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. 15 day mission. The launch will place the shuttle into Earth orbit at an altitude of 173 statute miles (278 km) and an inclination of 39 degrees. NASA has several reasons for allowing amateur radio operation from the Shuttle. One of the most important is to involve the largest possible numbers of people, particularly students, in technology and the US space program. During SAREX missions, the astronauts will typically make the following types of Amateur Radio contacts: Scheduled radio contacts with schools. Random radio contacts with the Amateur Radio community. Personal contacts with the astronauts' families. The primary payload during the STS-78 mission is life and microgravity experiments in the weightless environment. Experimenters from around the world will conduct a wide variety of experiments from microgravity bubble behavior to protein crystallization. Experiments will also focus on the effects of weightlessness on human physiology and function. SAREX Sponsors are: the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Eleven schools from around the world have been selected to make contact with the shuttle during most SAREX missions. Two or more students at each of the selected schools will ask questions of the astronauts during these contacts. The following schools have been selected by the SAREX Working Group for a scheduled radio contact during STS-78. Bethlehem Central Senior High School Delmar, NY Eisenhower Middle School San Antonio, TX Heritage Middle School Collyville, TX Anacortes Middle School Anacortes, WA Valley Heights Jr-Sr High School Blue Rapids, KS Monroe Elementary School Santa Barbara, CA Maple Grove Education Centre Nova Scotia, Canada Saskatoon Public Aerospace Education (S.P.A.C.E.) Saskatchewan, Canada Toowoomba State High School Queensland, Australia Catholic Ladies College Victoria, Australia CENG - Nuclear Center of Grenoble Grenoble, France During many SAREX missions, Shuttle crew members make random contacts with hams on Earth. They make these contacts during their breaks, before and after meal time, and during their pre-sleep time. In fact, over the past 16 years, astronauts have contacted thousands of amateurs around the world. On many missions, they have carried a 2-meter packet radio station. Innovative computer software allows the crew to operate the packet gear in an "unattended" mode, allowing amateurs to make contacts with the Shuttle ROBOT station when the astronauts are not able to be at the rig. The crew will use separate receive and transmit frequencies. Amateurs are asked to not transmit on the shuttle's DOWNLINK frequency. The crew will not favor any of the uplink frequencies, so success in working the Shuttle will be the "luck of the draw." Hams should transmit only when the shuttle is within range of their stations, and when the shuttle's station has been heard. FM Voice Downlink: (Worldwide) 145.55 MHz FM Voice Uplink: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, and 144.99 MHz FM Voice Uplink: (Europe only) 144.70, 144.75, and 144.80 MHz FM Packet Downlink: 145.55 MHz FM Packet Uplink: 144.49 MHz Calls to be used on STS-78 are: FM voice call signs KC7NHZ, N4BQW, VA3CSA FM packet call sign W5RRR-1 QSLs go to ARRL EAD, STS-78 QSL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA. Those sending cards are reminded to Include the following information: STS-78, date, time in UTC, frequency and mode. In addition, a SASE using a large, business-sized envelope must be included if a Shuttle QSL is desired. "The Net" in Anacortes, Washington State has generously volunteered to manage QSL cards for this mission. During STS-78, the SAREX hardware will be flown in configuration C which consists of the handheld transceiver, I/F module, PGSC (serves as the packet data terminal), spare battery set, window antenna, packet module, SAREX headset assembly, personal recorder, and the required cable assemblies. The packet module contains a power supply and packet TNC. The power supply provides power for the TNC and the handheld transceiver. Configuration C is capable of operating in either the voice or data mode in communications with amateur stations within LOS of the Orbiter. This configuration can be operated in the attended mode for voice communication and either the attended or automatic mode for data communications. [ANS thanks Bob Inderbitzen NQ1R, for the information used in this bulletin.] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-147.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE STATUS HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 147.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, MAY 26, 1996 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-147.04 RS-12 operating normally RS-10 operating normally AO-27 operating normally ANS thanks Rusty Hack, NM1K, AMSAT Area Coordinator for Connecticut for this information about RS-10 ,12 and AO-27. AO-10 Presumably, AO-10 shutdown almost immediately after the solar panels were no longer providing charge. One such shutdown occurred at 14:37 UTC on May 9th, which is just a couple of minutes after the tracking program showed there was no longer an intersection of the satellite's footprint and the terminator. Otherwise, AO-10 is in good shape. Bill Tynan W3XO/5 reports having three fine QSOs on it Sunday noon, May 26. ANS thanks Chris Hill, VK6KCH and Bill Tynan W3XO for this news on AO-10 AO-13 is operating normally, even if its passes are not at the most convenient times of day for us here in the U.S. WEBERSAT-OSCAR-18 experienced a software crash at 05:50:11 UTC on 17-Apr-96. Initial operating software has been reloaded by groundstation controllers, and the satellite is currently transmitting telemetry, OBC status, and beacon frames on a downlink of 437.102 MHz using right-hand circular polarization. The digipeater is temporarily off the air. ANS thanks John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, and SpaceNews for this information. LUSAT-OSCAR-19 continues to provide excellent service to users all over the world. LO-19 is operated by AMSAT-LU and operates with a transmitter output power level of between 0.8 and 1.4 watts with a data rate of 1200 bps. ANS thanks Miguel A. Menendez, EA1BCU, John A. Magliacane, KD2BD, and SpaceNews for this bulletin on LO-19. Please send your Satellite reports to bjarts@uslink.net or to wt0n@amsat.org /EX