SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0324 * SpaceNews 24-Mar-97 * BID: $SPC0324 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY MARCH 24, 1997 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use. * OSCAR-11 NEWS * ================= OSCAR-11 celebrated its 13th birthday on March 1st and still going strong! Congratulations to the University of Surrey on a wonderful achievement. During the period 19-February to 18 March, good, steady signals have been received from the 145.826 MHz beacon. Good signals have also been received on 435 MHz, during a Saturday 15 March, 14:00 UTC pass when the satellite was being commanded by ground control. Recent telemetry shows that the solar eclipses have reduced the internal temperatures by about eight degrees compared to the full sunlight condition. The battery voltage appears to be showing a tendency towards lower values, often around 13.5 volts. The spin period has varied from 300 to 382, but most of the time it is around 365 seconds. The WOD survey of channels 1, 2, 3, 61, (magnetometers) dated 02-January-97 was transmitted until February 22nd. An ASCII file of this WOD is now on the WWW (in addition to the binary file). The WOD channels are now 40, 50, 52, 63, (Array voltage, battery charge, battery voltage, BCR status). This new WOD shows the effect of eclipses on the array voltage, and the battery voltage which varies from 14.0 down to 13.0 volts. The plots also show the effect of satellite spin, which modulates the current, and voltages. The BCR (battery charge regulator) switches from between unit A and unit B, several times during the WOD. A short file of this interesting WOD is also on the WWW site, and will be updated when the WOD is changed, and the maximum amount of data has been received. Two AMSAT bulletins by Richard G3RWL have been uploaded. Topics have included OSCAR-11 status reports, OSCAR-10 Keplers, and call for AMSAT-UK colloquium papers. The operating schedule is unchanged and is as follows: ASCII status (210 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY SEU (30 seconds) ASCII TLM (90 seconds) ASCII WOD (120 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY ENG (30 seconds) There are also additional status blocks after each bulletin is transmitted, and between ASCII TLM and WOD. The Mode-S beacon is ON, but telemetry indicates that it has partially failed and delivering half power. Reports of reception on 2401 MHz are welcome, and should be e-mailed to Clive G3CWV at: g3cwv@amsat.org. The 435.035 MHz beacon is normally OFF. However it can sometimes be heard when the satellite is being commanded by ground control, ie. within range of Guildford, UK. Likely times are between 13:00 and 18:00 UTC, Fridays or on the weekends. When the 435 MHz beacon is transmitting, the 145 beacon is normally OFF. The data transmitted is mainly binary. A Web site containing OSCAR-11 telemetry data and some software can be found at the following URL: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ [Info via Clive Wallis, G3CWV] * HUBBLE TAKES AIM AT MARS * ============================ New, sharpest-ever views of the planet Mars taken by the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC2) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on March 10, 1997 (following the successful STS-82 Hubble second servicing mission), clearly show clouds, dust storms, polar caps and other bright and dark markings known to astronomers for more than a century. Taken just before Mars opposition, when the red planet comes closest to the Earth this year (about 60 million miles or 100 million km), the images were contained in a single picture element (pixel) in WFPC2's Planetary Camera which spans 13 miles (22 km) on the Martian surface. These images show the planet during the transition between spring and summer in the northern hemisphere (summer solstice). The annual north-polar, carbon-dioxide frost (dry ice) cap is rapidly subliming, revealing the much smaller permanent water-ice cap, along with a few nearby detached regions of surface frost. Hubble is being used to monitor dust storm activity to support the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Missions, which are currently en route to Mars. Hubble's "weather report" from these images, is invaluable for Mars Pathfinder, which is scheduled for a July 4 landing. These images show no evidence for large-scale dust storm activity, which plagued a previous Mars mission in the early 1970s. Images are available to news media representatives by calling 202/358-1900. Photo numbers are: Color: Syrtis Major 97-HC-136 Mars at Opposition 97-HC-137 Image files are also available on the Internet in GIF and JPEG formats via anonymous ftp from: oposite.stsci.edu in the /pubinfo directory. GIF JPEG Syrtis Major gif/marssm97.gif jpeg/marssm97.jpg Mars at Opposition gif/marssm97.gif jpeg/marssm97.jpg Higher resolution digital versions (300 dpi JPEG) of the image are available in /pubinfo/hrtemp: 97-09a.jpg (color) and 97-09abw.jpg (black and white). GIF and JPEG images, captions and information are available via World Wide Web at: http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/97/09.html and via links in: http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html or http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html [Info via NASA by way of Larry Van Horn] * AO-10 GOING STRONG * ====================== Peter Klein, KD7MW, reports copying very strong downlink signals from the AO-10 satellite last week. Unfortunately, not too many people were on the satellite at the time, and the transponder shutdown shortly after clearing the terminator and entering darkness, ending the conversation he was having. * FO-29 NEWS * ============== The current FO-29 operating schedule is as follows: 21-Mar-97 00:00 UTC : Mode JD 1200 bps PSK 28-Mar-97 10:45 UTC : Digitalker 01-Apr-97 00:30 UTC : Mode JD 9600 bps FSK John, KB8TJX, reports the latest FO-29 operating schedule may be accessed on the World Wide Web at the following URL: http://www.kt.rim.or.jp/~jr1nvu/eindex.html * SSTV VIA FO-29 * ================== Ted, G6HMS, reports that he believes he made the first European SSTV contact via the FO-29 satellite. Ted's contact was with Andy, DC2BB on 26-Dec-96 using the "Martin-1" color SSTV mode and "EZSSTV" software. He held his uplink frequency (145.975 MHz) constant and tuned his receiver (435.825 MHz) in compensation for Doppler shift, a technique that proved useful to him in establishing FAX communications via FO-20 in 1994. * FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below: WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/ PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> /EX