SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0607 * SpaceNews 07-Jun-99 * BID: $SPC0607 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JUNE 7, 1999 * SAREX NEWS * ============== The next shuttle flight currently scheduled to carry Amateur Radio equipment will be STS-93 which is tentatively scheduled for launch in late July. Voice and packet radio operations are planned to take place during this mission. In the meantime, the SAREX team is busying itself with the development and qualification of hardware for the International Space Station. The International ARISS team (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) will be delivering the first, Initial Station, to ISS this July for launch on STS-101 in December. This hardware is being built and qualified by a multinational team with members from Russia, Italy, Germany and the US. An impressive amount of international cooperation is occurring to bring all this hardware to flight status. The first operation of this hardware is expected to take place as early as this December, with continuous operation of the equipment expected in March of next year (only 9 months away). [Info via Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs] * OSCAR-36 NEWS * ================= Chris Jackson reports that due to the increase in satellite temperature late last week, controllers have been forced to had to turn off the 437.025 MHz 38k4 downlink. The 437.025 MHz transmitter is generating too much heat now that the satellite is in continuous sunlight. The transmitter is expected to be turned on again after the satellite's attitude is changed. The 437.400 MHz 9k6 transmitter is still in operation, although the BBS is still closed while commissioning continues. Controllers are currently commissioning the S band high speed downlink at rates between 128kb/s and 1Mb/s, and stations who share co-visibility with Surrey may be able to receive this downlink on 2401 MHz during some passes over Surrey. [Info via Chris Jackson, G7UPN / ZL2TPO] * K2ZRO MEMORIAL * ================== The staff of Kopernik Observatory and ham radio volunteers celebrated the observatory's 25th anniversary on June 5 with a special event that also honored the memory of one of the observatory's founders, Kaz Deskur, K2ZRO, who died in 1984. Amateur Radio club station KB2UYF is located at the observatory, and paperwork has been submitted to the FCC to change the station's call sign to K2ZRO. Deskur, a satellite pioneer, operated the observatory's Amateur Radio station under his call sign for many years. In the early days of the OSCAR program and AMSAT, K2ZRO was a familiar call sign. Deskur designed the original OSCARLOCATOR, a device used to track satellites before the advent of personal computers. The observances on June 5 included a formal dedication of the observatory club station. Deskur's widow and family were honored guests, and the keynote speaker was Dr. Joseph Dervay, a NASA astronaut-physician. For many years AMSAT sponsored an engineering award in Kaz Deskur's honor. A native of Poland and an Amateur there during World War II, Deskur fought in the Polish Underground. After the war, he emigrated to the US where he worked for IBM. His son, Andy, is KA1M. The Kopernik Observatory is establishing a special "Wall of Honor for Amateur Radio Satellites" to honor Kaz Deskur. All hams who knew or worked with him are invited to send their QSL cards for display on this wall. Send cards in an envelope to Kopernik Space & Science Education Center (KA2CNG-TR), 30 Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905. Hams at Kopernik also will be active June 19, hoping to make many contacts during Kid's Day (see June QST, page 32, for details), operating through satellites--especially FO-20 and FO-27. [Info via John Kray, KA2CNG by way of Tom Clark, W3IWI] * 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 @ N2SMV.NJ.USA.NA <-------------- New address! 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