SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0304 * SpaceNews 04-Mar-96 * BID: $SPC0304 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY MARCH 4, 1996 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited free distribution. * CELESTIAL BBS SHUTDOWN * ========================== After over 10 years of near continuous operation, the Celestial BBS operated by Dr. T.S. Kelso will be shut down sometime around mid-March. Dr. Kelso will be moving again and since there has been very little activity lately on the system, there is little point in establishing a new line for the BBS at the new residence. Of course, the orbital elements will continue to be provided via the Internet and Dr. Kelso will establish a WWW site to distribute the software at this location before the move. Dr. Kelso would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every supporter of his Celestial BBS these many years and looks forward to seeing everyone on the new Internet site in the near future! [Info via Dr. T.S. Kelso, relayed by Donald Roland] * STS-76 LAUNCH VISIBILITY * ============================ The launch of Atlantis on the morning of 21-Mar-96 will provide a rare opportunity for shuttle watchers in the eastern United States. Space Shuttle Atlantis will launch at night into a high inclination orbit for its nine day Mir rendezvous mission. Viewers from Florida to Boston might be able to see the Shuttle as it streaks up the coast. Usually, the Space Shuttle can only be seen by reflected sunlight when it is already in orbit. However, on this particular mission, viewers can watch the Shuttle *during* the launch when its main engines will be bright enough to be seen from hundreds of miles away! The Shuttle will be visible for only a few minutes after launch and only while the engines are running. MECO (main engine cut off) usually occurs at about T+8 minutes into the flight. Shortly after MECO, viewers in the Northeastern United States and Canada may also see a flash or two from the separation of the external tank. If you want to try to watch the Shuttle launch, try to find a location with a clear unobstructed view of the horizon because Atlantis will not get very high in the sky. It will rise from the south-east and travel north. Look roughly south-east a few mintes after launch for a bright, fast moving streak low in the sky. Binoculars are not needed. The launch is scheduled for 3:34 am EST on March 21, 1996. Don't worry about launch delays keeping you up all night. Since this is a MIR rendezous mission, the launch window will be very short. Atlantis must launch within a few mintues of 3:34 am or NASA will scrub the launch attempt. Additional STS-76 mission information can be obtained from NASA on the World Wide Web at http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov. If you live in the New Jersey area and would like to organize a gathering to watch this event, please contact the author at dquagliana@aol.com. [Info via Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW] * LINUX SOFTWARE * ================== Discussions heard between Space Shuttle "Columbia" and mission control on NASA TV last week indicate that computers running under the Linux operating system are being used on STS-75. Linux is powerful 32-bit multiuser, multitasking operating system similar to Unix in many ways except cost and licensing. Linux can run on most 386, 486, and Pentium-based personal computers in addition to Amiga and Atari computers. It is currently being ported to the ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, and PowerMac computers, and a 64-bit version is available for the DEC Alpha. Linux was designed a few short years ago by Linus Torvalds, a graduate student at the University of Helsinki in Finland who took his first courses in `C' and Unix in the Fall of 1990. By October 1991, Linux version 0.02 was announced and this attracted the attention of thousands of programmers and software developers on the Internet. International collaboration in the development of Linux has resulted in a very powerful operating system whose capabilities are growing faster than those of commercial operating systems. Part of the enthusiasm behind Linux development is rooted in the fact that like Unix, the Linux operating system is hardware independent. As a result, it is possible to author software for Linux that will operate equally well under many hardware platforms, whether they be a powerful mainframe or a small laptop. Its growth and development are reminiscent of the telecommunication innovations brought to the world through the efforts of Amateur Radio Operators over the years. Linux also supports a wide variety of networking protocols, including AX.25 (Amateur Packet Radio) at the kernel level, a feature not many other operating systems can claim. There already exists quite an extensive list of Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite related software applications for the Linux operating system. That list will grow later this week with the release of the following programs written by KD2BD: predict: A multiuser satellite orbital prediction program that also provides optical visibility information dove : A simple DOVE-OSCAR-17 telemetry decoding program uo11 : A simple UoSAT-OSCAR-11 ASCII telemetry decoding program kepgen : A program that allows the creation of Keplerian data files in the NASA 2-line format from data entered through the keyboard These programs are free for the asking and must be used for non-commercial purposes only. They were written in `C' and compiled using the highest level of optimization possible from GCC compiler version 2.5.8. The resulting executable files are in an a.out binary format. These programs will be made available via anonymous FTP at pilot.njin.net in the /pub/SpaceNews/linux subdirectory or uploaded to the AMSAT-OSCAR-16 or LUSAT-OSCAR-19 satellites by request. All programs include on-line manual pages with the exception of "predict" which contains a built-in help option. Further information on the Linux operating system may be obtained through the World Wide Web at: http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html and many other sites around the world. A link to a HAM-HOWTO page describing other free Amateur Radio software available for Linux may also be accessed through this site. Incidentially, the Linux operating system has been used exclusively for the creation and circulation of SpaceNews since the release of "Windows 95" in August of 1995. Perhaps SpaceNews can also be referred to as the first Amateur newsletter edited and circulated entirely under Linux. :-) * THANKS! * =========== Thanks to all who sent messages of appreciation to SpaceNews, especially: N1ESK KE4PNM Rick Denis And MY thanks to all those who circulate SpaceNews around the world and translate SpaceNews into languages other than English every week. YOUR work is very much appreciated! * FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below: FAX : 1-908-747-7107 FTP : pilot.njin.net cd to /pub/SpaceNews WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/ PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, 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