SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0724 * SpaceNews 24-Jul-95 * BID: $SPC0724 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JULY 24, 1995 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited free distribution. * STS-70 NEWS * =============== STS-70 was launched at 9:41:55 AM EDT (13:41:55 UTC) on 13-Jul-95. The launch was delayed 55 seconds due to a minor problem/question. The mission was extended an extra day due to poor weather conditions at the US landing sites. Discovery landed safely on Saturday 22-Jul-95 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club in Sterling, Virginia has generously volunteered to manage QSL cards for the SAREX experiment carried on STS-70. QSL cards may be obtained by sending reception reports or 2-way QSL cards to: ARRL EAD STS-70 QSL 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Include the following information in your QSL or report: STS-70, date, time in UTC, frequency and mode (FM voice). In addition, you must also include a SASE using a large, business-sized envelope if you wish to receive a card. * CERISE LAUNCHED * =================== Guildford, UK, 10 July -- The CERISE microsatellite, using a satellite platform manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) for Alcatel Espace (France), was launched successfully on 7 July as a secondary payload on Ariane flight 75. Eight hours after CERISE was injection into orbit, SSTL engineers working from the CERISE mission operations ground station in France activated the satellite's downlink. The microsatellite platform is fully functional, and SSTL is conducting platform commissioning operations prior to turning the satellite over to Alcatel Espace for payload commissioning and mission operations. CERISE is the ninth mission to use SSTL's modular microsatellite platform. The next SSTL microsatellite scheduled to be launched is FASat-Alfa, built by SSTL for Fuerza Aerea de Chile. FASat-Alfa is scheduled to be launched in mid-August on a Ukranian Tsyklon launcher >From the Pletsesk Russian launch base. For further information contact: Professor Martin Sweeting Managing Director Surrey Satellite Technology Limited Centre for Satellite Engineering Research University of Surrey Guildford Surrey GU2 5XH United Kingdom e-mail: m.sweeting@ee.surrey.ac.uk www: http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/ voice: +44 1483 259143 fax: +44 1483 259503 [Info via Jeff Ward] * MIR NEWS * ============ On Mir, the cosmonauts had a very successful five-hour EVA on Friday 14-Jul-95. They inspected the docking ring that leaked air, unsnared the Kvant-2 'balky' array, and uncut the restraining bolt on the Spektr array. It all went very, very well. Kristall will be rotated off to the side permanently, on Monday 24-Jul-95. [Info via James Oberg] * STS-69 LAUNCH DATE SET * ========================== NASA managers have selected 05-Aug-95 as the official launch date for the next Space Shuttle mission, STS-69, pending resolution of open items including the post flight assessment of an anomaly on one of the STS-71 solid rocket booster nozzle joints. The 11-day mission will feature the second flight of the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), a saucer-shaped satellite that will fly free of the Shuttle for several days. The WSF will grow thin films in a near perfect vacuum created by the wake of the satellite as it moves through space. The crew also will deploy and retrieve the Spartan 201 astronomy satellite, perform a six-hour spacewalk to test assembly techniques for the international Space Station and test thermal improvements made to space suits used during space walks. The commander for the mission is three-time Shuttle veteran David Walker and the pilot is Kenneth Cockrell, making his second flight. The three mission specialists are James Voss, flying for the third time, James Newman making his second flight, and Michael Gernhardt making his first flight. The Shuttle Endeavour is set to liftoff from Launch Pad 39-A at 10:45 AM EDT (14:45 UTC) at the opening of a 2-1/2 hour launch window. Landing is planned for 16-Aug-95 at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. [Info via Ron Baalke @ Jet Propulsion Laboratory] * OSCAR STATUS REPORT * ======================= PACSAT-OSCAR-16: The BBS is operating normally. DOVE-OSCAR-17: Congratulations to DOVE for 400 days of service. S Band is currently OFF. TLM rate may change as controllers continue to experiment with power settings. [Telemetry every 50 secs] WEBERSAT-OSCAR-18: The satellite is gathering/sending week 2 WOD variable telemetry as follows: 0x00 Rx D discrim 0x01 Rx D S meter 0x02 Rx C discrim 0x03 Rx C S meter 0x04 Rx B discrim 0x61 EDAC counter The digipeater is on using an uplink on 145.900 MHz. LUSAT-OSCAR-19: Still in Telemetry only mode. Recovery from crash still in progress. Don't transmit on uplink channels. As usual, any telemetry report is useful and should be sent to LU8DYF. FUJI-OSCAR-20: CW telemetry heard on both downlink channnels. [Info via Graham, VK7ZO] * NASA HF FREQUENCIES * ======================= The following is a list of HF frequencies used during US Space Shuttle flights. All emissions are upper sideband except as noted. 2.622 MHz Booster Rocket Recovery 2.678 MHz Cape radio range 3.385 MHz NASA tracking 3.395 MHz NASA tracking 5.190 MHz NASA tracking (vessels) 5.518 MHz NASA tracking 5.810 MHz Booster Rocket Recovery 6.693 MHz NASA aircraft 6.708 MHz NASA aircraft 6.783 MHz NASA tracking 6.896 MHz NASA aircraft 6.983 MHz NASA tracking 7.461 MHz NASA airport 7.675 MHz NASA Kennedy ops 7.765 MHz NASA tracking 10.780 MHz USAF Cape radio (Primary) 11.205 MHZ NASA Pacific operations 11.407 MHz NASA booster recovery 13.170 MHz NASA aircraft 14.456 MHz NASA tracking 20.186 MHz NASA tracking 20.191 MHz NASA tracking (Ascension Island) 20.197 MHz NASA operations (Ascension Island) (LSB) 20.390 MHz NASA tracking [Info via Jeff M. Bishop, KB8FRW] * 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 PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org -or- magliaco@pilot.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16 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