AMSAT News Service

November 2, 2001

AO-40 activity continues.

Peter, DB2OS, reports magnetorquing is again in progress. Also, RUDAK periods have been extended recently to allow downloading of several important RUDAK GPS files. The extended RUDAK time took place recently on orbit 458 and 459.

Don, KD4APP, reported his first contact on AO-40 (with Steve, K2IYQ). To see KD4APP's setup, visit http://s20.w-ent.com/ao40/index.htm.

AO-40 is currently in a long period during which the Earth eclipses the Sun near perigee. These actually began about August 28th, and will rapidly increase in length. The will continue well into June 2002.

For the current transponder operating schedule visit http://www.amsat-dl.org/journal/adlj-p3d.htm

Stay tuned to ANS, the official source of AO-40 information.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA for this information]

ISS Update

ESA astronaut Claudie Haignere and her two Russian colleagues returned to Earth this past week after successfully delivering a new lifeboat to the International Space Station.

The Andromede crew safely descended to Earth in a Soyuz capsule, ending a 10-day Russian-French mission. Together with fellow crew members Commander Victor Afanassiev and Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev, French born Claudie spent eight days onboard the space station, completing the prime objective to deliver a new lifeboat (and exchange it for an older Soyuz vehicle, which had been attached to ISS for the past six months).

Now on their own once again, the Expedition-3 crewmembers will continue their scientific investigations. With systems operating normally, ISS is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles.

In a related story, the space shuttle Endeavour was repositioned on its launching pad at Cape Canaveral ahead of the late November mission to ISS.

[ANS thanks NASA for this information]

ARISS Contacts

Ten excited students ranging from 11 to 18 years in age recently talked to ISS Commander Frank Culbertson from the Sanilac Career Center, some ninety miles north of Detroit, Michigan.

Sanilac Career Center is a school devoted to teaching occupational skills.

Ted Davis, KF8ZO, wore two hats for the ARISS contact, serving as both the coordinating teacher and as the coordinating radio operator. Davis, an electronics instructor at the school, reports that the ISS contact lasted just over seven minutes, and allowed ten students to ask one question each.

KF8ZO reported Commander Culbertson patiently answered each question, and seemed to take delight in doing so. Culbertson has shown great interest in the ARISS program, and has requested that several contacts per week be scheduled during his tenure.

In addition to Sanilac, Kolling Elementary in Schererville, Indiana also completed a successful ARISS contact with ISS. The control operator for the QSO was W9WY. Some 17 students had their questions answered.

The next ARISS school contact is scheduled with Woodbrook Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana.

[ANS thanks Gene Chapline, K5YFL, for this information]

ANS in Brief

ANS news in brief this week includes the following:

University of Arizona scientists have made an ultra lightweight demonstration space mirror that could be further developed for satellites in geosynchronous orbit and for giant space telescopes. In addition, another team has submitted a proposal to NASA for the Next Generation Space Telescope, a key mission in NASA's Origins Program. The new space observatory, targeted for launch in 2009, will help NASA observe the first stars and galaxies formed in the Universe.
-SpaceDaily
The 2001 AMSAT Field Day Competition results show K4BFT, (operating with the Huntsville Amateur Radio Club) in first place with 166 points. K5OE came in 2nd, KE4AZN in 3rd, AA4MD in 4th, and W2LV in 5th. Congratulations all! Tim, N8DEU, accepted the 1st Place plaque for K4BFT at the AMSAT Space Symposium in Atlanta. K5OE received a certificate for his operation. AA4MD also received a certificate, as did W2LV.
-Andy, W5ACM
ESA has defined a new agreement opening up opportunities for several European states to participate more closely in ESA space programs. The aim is to stimulate relations with interested European countries, to expand the overall European scientific and industrial base and advance research and development.
-SpaceDaily
The November issue of Boys' Life magazine features Troop 277 of George West, Texas, during an ARISS contact. The November issue presents a photo feature of last summer's Jamboree held in Virginia, showing Scout operating a station in the K2BSA tent. ARISS ops helped as mentors for an ARISS contact between the Jamboree Scouts and ISS astronaut Susan Helms.
-ARISS
Increasingly smaller and faster semiconductor circuitry has fueled an information technology boom, producing cheaper and more powerful computing devices that have boosted virtually every aspect of our economy. But fundamental limits imposed by the laws of physics threaten to halt continued miniaturization, clouding the future of silicon-based semiconductors.
-SpaceDaily
A newly released atlas detailing coral reefs around the world contains numerous photographs taken by NASA astronauts. The photographs provide a unique perspective on coral reef geography, coastal development and the relationship of reefs to various land habitats. The images from space are a beautiful and important way of bringing coral maps to life.
-NASA
The main evidence for liquid water on Mars is the past development of giant flood channels that have been seen for the last 25 years as proof of the escape of water from the subsurface. All the models for modern and ancient Mars are based on the premise that there was once liquid water available, and perhaps even an ocean. Also, the Mars Odyssey 2001 space probe has successfully entered orbit about Mars following a 20-minute engine burn to slow the probe down.
-SpaceDaily
2001 AMSAT Symposium awards included a presentation to Alan Adamson, NE1H, in grateful appreciation for his work as an RF Communications Engineer for the AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium (itself). His dedicated service and hard work in helping with this task was noted.
-AMSAT-NA
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope is an example of 'painting with light'. Astronomers use the separated colors produced by oxygen and hydrogen to investigate star-forming processes in nebula NGC-2080. The colors explain much about the nature of such nebulae.
-SpaceDaily
Hams in Southern California are on alert after the FCC issued an Experimental License to Digital Wireless Corporation in Los Angeles allowing DWC to test its systems in the 420-430 MHz amateur radio band. Digital Wireless is a manufacturer of secure, all-digital, Internet linked trunked and non-trunked dispatch radio equipment.
-ARNewsLine
XF2RCS, will be operating from Lobos Island, from November 1-4, 2001. They will be active on all bands from 1.8 to 435 MHz, using phone, CW and PSK-31. XF2RCS will also be active on the FM satellites. Team members include: XE1VIC, XE1ME, XE1JG, XE1YJY, XE1ZOI and XE1KK. QSL via KA9WON.
-ANS

Weekly Satellite Report

Link to the weekly report on satellite ...

All Satellites
ISS . RS-12 . RS-13 . RS-15 . AO-10 . UO-11 . UO-14 . AO-16 . DO-17 . WO-18 . LO-19 . FO-20 . UO-22 . KO-23 . KO-25 . IO-26 . AO-27 . FO-29 . TO-31 . GO-32 . SO-33 . PO-34 . SO-35 . UO-36 . AO-40 . SO-41 . SO-42

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to the ANS Editors at ans-editor@amsat.org, or to ANS Editor Dan James, NN0DJ, at nn0dj@amsat.org.

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