SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0118 * SpaceNews 18-Jan-99 * BID: $SPC0118 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JANUARY 18, 1999 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use. * MIR SSTV IMAGES * =================== A collection of recent Mir SSTV images may be found at Claudio, IK1SLD's Web site, which may be reached at the following URL: http://www.ik1sld.org/sstv_mir.htm * KO-23 NEWS * ============== Jim, AA4MD, reported last week that KO-23's satellite clock was running behind and must not have been reset properly during the satellite's recent transmitter problems. This caused some operators to experience difficulties because their software could not correct the error. Jim AA4MD Huhfam@aol.com * SUNSAT LAUNCH DELAY * ======================= John Curtis, W7RAQ, reports that after two attempts to launch SUNSAT, the mission has been scrubbed. Complications have postponed the launch, and no other information was available at this time this issue of SpaceNews went to press. Controllers have pointed out that SUNSAT will not be available for general amateur radio use until at least one month after the launch of the spacecraft. * MIR QSL INFO * ================ Dr. Dave Larsen, N6CO, reported that he and Fran, KE6IXD, recently sent out over 200 Mir QSL cards. Dave wishes to remind those requesting QSL cards that they be sent to the following address: N6CO PO Box 311 Pine Grove, California 95665 USA (The post office box number is no longer 1501) Stations outside of the US should include a self-addressed business sized envelope with 2 IRCs for return postage. US stations should include a business sized SASE. QSLs sent ot Dave should include the mode, date, and time of the contact with Mir. Questions may be addressed directly to Dave via e-mail: doc@volcano.net, or packet radio: N6CO@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM * AO-10 NEWS * ============== Stacey Mills, W4SM, recently provided the following updated AO-10 Keplerian orbital data that is based on additional ranging measurements: Satellite: AO-10 Catalog number: 14129 Epoch time: 99011.95911000 Element set: 004 Inclination: 27.111 deg RA of node: 48.713 deg Eccentricity: 0.60081 Arg of perigee: 281.762 deg Mean anomaly: 69.677 deg Mean motion: 2.05868815 rev/day Decay rate: 0.0 rev/day^2 Epoch rev: 11717 Checksum: 239 AO-10 1 14129U 00 0 0 99011.95911000 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 0049 2 14129 027.1110 048.7130 6008100 281.7620 069.6770 02.05868815117170 * TMSAT NEWS * ============== Chris Jackson, G7UPN, reported that during the morning passes over Surrey last Tuesday, the secondary OBC386 flight computer software was loaded. This software will be tested out over the next few weeks and modifications made as required. Once controllers are satisfied that it is performing correctly, the OBC186 will be switched off and the OBC386 will be made the primary OBC. The OBC386 has a number of advantages over the 186 apart from processing power. It has 128MB of data storage available for storing images compared to the 186's 16MB. Also, two uplinks are available on the 386 and this should help reduce uplink congestion. Stations are asked not to transmit to TMSAT when the secondary OBC is operating on the downlink. As stations will observe, the secondary OBC uses the callsign TMSATS and this callsign should not be programmed into WiSP or PB as this may slow down the software testing. Last Thursday afternoon there was a problem with TMSAT's attitude control that caused it to go into a "hot loop" that should have lasted about 2 hours. To ensure that this ran as quick as possible, Chris closed the BBS to users to reduce activity on the spacecraft. Nothing in TMSAT's telemetry indicates that the mailbox is open. If the groundstation software (WiSP/PB) doesn't automatically transmit download requests, then users can assume that it is closed. * RS-18 DECAY REPORT * ====================== C. Mercier, AMSAT France's secretary noticed that according to NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, RS-18/Sputnik-41 decayed in the Earth's atmosphere on 1999-Jan-11. The last Keplerian elements available are : IntID/Name CatNo Source period Incl Apogee Perigee RCS ------------ ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------- -------- 1998-062C 25533 CIS 89.4 51.7 251 241 0.1872 SPUTNIK 41 Launched (1998/10/25) Decayed [1999/01/11] SPUTNIK 41 Decayed: 1999/01/11 1 25533U 98062C 99011.27784502 .36532436 12708-4 37292-3 0 1316 2 25533 51.6341 60.1503 0001083 50.3915 309.7247 16.50803227 9678 SPUTNIK 41 Decayed: 1999/01/11 1 25533U 98062C 99011.21736111 .25907650 12594-4 66284-3 0 1300 2 25533 51.6336 60.5005 0002176 332.2716 28.6263 16.45970281 9661 Those who sent for RS-18 QSL cards may check to see if their QSLs have been received by the QSL manager by visiting the following URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ascerland/sp41QSL.htm * SpaceNews NEWS * ================== SpaceNews is available in plain text format at the following URL: www.amsat.org/amsat/news/spc1999.html Electronic mail subscriptions to SpaceNews are available by sending an e-mail request to: majordomo@amsat.org Include the following text in the body (not subject) of your message: subscribe ans This subscription will include not only SpaceNews, but official weekly AMSAT News Service bulletins as well. Further information is available at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/listserv/lists.html * THANKS! * =========== Thanks to all who recently sent messages of appreciation for SpaceNews, especially: GM1SXX OE1JEB/SM5BZ * 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, KITSAT-OSCAR-25 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> <<=- Serving the planet (and beyond) since 1987 -=>> /EX