AMSAT News Service

May 23, 2004

This is the second call for papers for the 2004 AMSAT Space Symposium andAnnual Meeting to be held October 8-10 in Arlington, Virginia. This symposium will be held in conjunction with the ARISS International Meeting that is planned for October 10-13.

Proposals for papers, symposium presentations, and poster presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite program. An emphasis for this year is AMSAT's educational outreach activities, including our educational outreach efforts with universities and the International Space Station. In particular, papers on the following topics are solicited: students & education, ARISS, Echo, Eagle and other satellite-related topics.

We request a one-page abstract by June 15, 2004. Camera ready copy on paper or in electronic form will be due by August 1, 2004 for inclusion in the printed symposium proceedings.

Abstracts and papers should be sent to:
Daniel Schultz N8FGV
14612 Dowling Drive
Burtonsville, MD 20866

or by e-mail to: n8fgv@amsat.org

[ANS thanks Dan, N8FGV for the above information]

FO-29 Reception Reports Wanted

JARL FO-29 command team wants FO-29 reception reports.

The recent FO-29 shut down problem is not due to the Under Voltage Controller (UVC). The cause is unknown. To analyze the problem, the command team would like to receive the following information.

1. night pass CW telemetry data
2. analog transponder status (status and the time)
3. the time analog transponder stopped
4. other reference info

Please send the report to lab2@jarl.or.jp. Please use the subject 'FO-29 reception report'.

[ANS thanks Masa, JN1GKZ for the above information]

Journal Update

Ed Long, WA4SWJ, Editor of the AMAT Journal reports that the May/June issue is at the printer and work has already begun on the July/August issue. Ed says, "there is still room for some additional articles in the July/August issue". Submissions should be sent to journal@amsat.org by 20 June 2004.

[ANS thanks Ed, WA4SWJ for the above information]

ARISS Status 17 May 2004

School Contacts to Resume

ARISS school contacts will resume the last week of May. Expedition 9 crew's first contact is a crew pick of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and has been scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact is planned for Tuesday, May 25 at 1801 UTC, and will be performed via the telebridge amateur radio station, VK5ZAI, in Australia.

BBC Article on Dr. Gregory Olsen

On May 4, the BBC ran a question and answer article on Dr. Gregory Olsen, entitled, "Third Space Tourist." Dr. Olsen is expected to visit the ISS in April 2005. He has expressed interest in training for his amateur radio license exam so that he might participate in ARISS school contacts. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3682397.stm

ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee Meeting

The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, May 13. Minutes from the meeting are being prepared and will be posted to the ARISS website upon completion.

ARISS Presentation at Dayton Hamvention 2004

ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, gave a presentation to an audience of two hundred fifty people entitled, "AMSAT's Future Role in Human Spaceflight Exploration -- ARISS, the Moon and Mars" at the Dayton Hamvention 2004 on Saturday, May 15. Hamvention is an annual amateur radio trade show, which attracts a large number of ham enthusiasts. The ARRL and AMSAT participated in the event which was held Friday through Sunday, May 14 - 16 in Dayton, Ohio.

Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates Mailed

The bulk of the Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates have been mailed out. The event, which was held from November 29 through the end of December 2003, honored Roy Neal for his hard work and dedication in getting amateur radio in space. Anyone who contacted the ISS through either voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) during this time is eligible to receive a certificate. See the ARRL article, entitled, "ARISS Roy Neal Commemorative Event Certificates in the Mail" athttp://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/05/11/2/?nc=1

Amateur Radio License Training

Astronaut Leroy Chiao is scheduled to train at JSC with Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance in early June to prepare for his amateur radio license exam. Once he passes the exam and receives his callsign, he will be able to participate in the ARISS program during his flight on board the ISS, as Expedition 10 commander. He is scheduled to fly in October, 2004.

ARRL Article on Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, KD5ESI

The ARRL ran a web story on the dedication of NASA's new supercomputer, the SGI Altix 3000, to Kalpana Chawla. Chawla lost her life last year in the Columbia STS-107 accident. The article is entitled, "NASA names new supercomputer after lost Columbia astronaut "KC" Chawla, KD5ESI," and can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/

[ANS thanks Carol for the above information]

This Week's News in Brief

The owners of four trucking companies, two seafood companies and one fishing boat have all been cited by the FCC for operating without a license on amateur frequencies. According to the C-Q magazine website, three of the trucking companies are in North and South Carolina and the fourth is in Idaho. They were allegedly operating on 10 meters. The fishing boats are in the Pacific Northwest, purportedly using the 2 meter band.
--Newsline
The 2004 TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference will be held September 10-12 at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, Iowa. You'll find more conference information on the Web at http://www.tapr.org/dcc/
--ARRL
AeroAstro, Inc., a leading provider of small satellites and related technology products, today announced the award of a contract for the development of an Aerobrake Deorbiting System (ADS). The objective of this program, which is based upon technologies pioneered by AeroAstro to enhance the mobility of small spacecraft, is a self-contained aerobrake that will retire a space asset at the end of its useful lifetime.
--SpaceDaily
An Atlas IIAS rocket lifted of from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36B at 2222 UTC on 19 May 2004. The satellite, an A2100 model, was injected into a transfer orbit 28 minutes later. The AMC-11 spacecraft is a twin to AMC-10, launched in February, and together they form SES Americom's premier cable neighborhood and the platform for its HD-PRIME service.
--SpaceDaily
US-based Orbital Sciences Corporation and Taiwan's National Space Program Office successfully launched a Taurus XL rocket at 1747 UTC on Thursday, 20 May 2004. "The rocket carries the ROCSAT-2 remote sensing satellite," a statement from Vandenberg said. "Its mission is to observe and monitor the terrestrial and marine environment and natural resources throughout Taiwan, its remote islands and surrounding ocean for civil applications."
--SpaceDaily

Weekly Satellite Report

Link to the weekly report on satellite ...

All Satellites
ISS. RS-12. RS-13. RS-15. AO-7. AO-10. UO-11. UO-14. AO-16. LO-19. FO-20. UO-22. KO-23. KO-25. IO-26. AO-27. FO-29. GO-32. SO-33. PO-34. UO-36. AO-40. SO-41. SO-42. NO-44. NO-45. MO-46. AO-49. SO-50

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to the ANS Editors at ans-editor@amsat.org

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This week's AMSAT News Service bulletins were edited by AMSAT News Service Editor Lee McLamb, KU4OS, ku4os@amsat.org