SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.01 ARISS Status - 16 May 2005 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.01 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.01 1. Japanese School Contact Successful Hosokawa Junior High School, in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan experienced an ARISS contact on Monday, May 9, 2005. Twelve students were able to ask 22 questions of John Phillips, KE5DRY, before the ISS went over the horizon. Approximately four hundred students, teachers, and parents were present. Among the media covering the event were two newspapers, and one local cable television station. A video of the contact will be available. 2. Albany Hills School Contact On May 4, Albany Hills State School in Brisbane, Australia participated in a contact with astronaut John Phillips, KE5DRY. The ARISS team received a report from the school's coordinating teacher, Cheryl Capra, who praised the program and those who volunteered their time and effort to make the contact such a success. Photos of John Phillips speaking to the Albany Hills students from space can be found on the NASA website. See: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage15.html 3. Upcoming School Contact One of John Phillips' crew picks, Village Elementary School, in Coronado, California, has been approved for a contact. It has been scheduled for Thursday, May 26 at 16:39 UTC via the telebridge station NN1SS. The contact will be fed through the Echolink AMSAT (101377) and EDU_NET (77992) servers and IRLP reflector 9010. 4. Space Day 2005 Update The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center celebrated Space Day on May 5. AMSAT participated in the event with an activities station set up for students and the general public, displaying and distributing ARISS material. The total number of visitors who attended Space Day was 11,693. There were 1,576 students who participated through school groups, and through a partnership with the Fairfax Public Schools Network, the center reached 32,971 schools and 7.5 million students. 5. SuitSat Status SuitSat's voice greeting will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Other voice messages to be included on SuitSat are being discussed and will need to be finalized in the near future. It has been suggested to use five two part messages. Five languages would be used, each delivering a standard greeting, and the second part of each message would vary, determined by the participating ARISS partners. Students would have the opportunity to interpret each message. The U.S. team has suggested a plan where schools worldwide might participate in SuitSat by submitting something on an 8.5 x 11 inch paper, which represents the school, to the ARISS team. All papers would be scanned, put on a DVD and deployed in the Orlan suit. The proposal has been written up and distributed to the international delegates for their comments. Once this plan has been finalized, it will be forwarded to the NASA Education Office for distribution. 6. Expedition 10 Crew Debrief Sergey Samburov had a debrief session with the Expedition 10 crew members. He received positive remarks about the ARISS program, with some suggestions for improvement. The U.S. team will tentatively meet with Leroy Chiao for his debrief the last week of June. 7. Dayton Hamvention 2005 The Dayton Hamvention 2005 will be held this coming weekend, May 20-22. Both AMSAT and ARRL will set up exhibition booths at the event. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will attend and give a presentation entitled, "Human Spaceflight Update (ARISS & Future Exploration Initiatives)." 8. School Selection Committee Meeting Held The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee meeting was held on Thursday, May 12. The minutes will be posted to the ARISS website in the near future. [ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.02 AMSAT Receives Certification AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.02 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.02 On May 17, 2005, AMSAT was notified that we had been accepted for inclusion in the 2005 CFC (Combined Federal Campaign.) This concludes an extensive effort by AMSAT to become a registered charity within this massive national and international fund drive held each fall. The campaign is equivalent to the United Way, only conducted each fall among U.S. Federal Employees around the world. In upcoming news releases, "Journal" stories, and on our web site, AMSAT.org, we will outline the process and procedure that Federal Employees should follow in adding AMSAT to their annual giving plans. If you work for the Federal Government, stay tuned. [ANS thanks AMSAT Treasurer Gunther, W8GSM for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.03 AO-51 June Schedule AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.03 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.03 1 June FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Digital, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS) Uplink: 145.860 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital 8 June - QRP Repeater Experimenter Wednesday FM Repeater, V/U, High Power Mode QRP requirements for the uplink. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/ControlTeam.php Uplink: 145.880 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 9 June FM Repeater, V/U, High Power Mode Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 11 June (1420 UTC 11 June to 0450 UTC 12 June) AO-51 Kid's Day Special Event See the write-up elsewhere in ANS for details. Please follow the event requirements and note the uplink frequency. Certificate available for kids making a contact. FM Repeater, V/U, High Power Mode Uplink: 145.880 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 12 June (at conclusion of Kid's Day) FM Repeater, V/U, High Power Mode Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM 15 June (2 day session) 9k6 Digital, V/U, High Power, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS) Uplink: 145.860 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital 17 June FM Repeater, V/S (Field Day Configuration) Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM Downlink: 2401.200 MHz FM 27 June FM Repeater, V/U Uplink: 145.920 MHz FM, 67 Hz PL Tone Downlink 435.300 MHz FM 9k6 Digital, V/U, PBP BBS (Pacsat Broadcast Protocol BBS) Uplink: 145.860 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital Downlink: 435.150 MHz FM, 9k6 PBP Digital [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN and the AO-51 Team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.04 AO-51 AMSAT Kid's Day June 2005 AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.04 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.04 On 11 June 2005, AMSAT-NA and the AO-51 Operations Team will sponsor the second Kid's Day on AO-51 for 2005. The event will run from approximately 1420 UTC 11 June until 0450 UTC 12 June. The event is open to all kids, worldwide. All amateur radio stations are asked to use this short time window to promote satellite operations with kids by actually showing a kid how to make contacts via AO-51, providing a station to contact, or stepping aside to allow others to make contacts with the kids. During the event, please limit contacts to stations that are operating with kids at the microphone. This should allow the kids to have a nice QSO and pass some information. Kids can tell their name, age, who is helping them operate on AO-51, where they live, and other information about themselves. A certificate is available from the AO-51 Team to any kid making a successful Kid's Day contact. Please check the AMSAT Web Site, AO-51 Control Team Page, and other AMSAT news outlets for details on the award. AO-51 will be configured in the following mode during the event. Please note the change in the uplink frequency for the event. Uplink: 145.880 MHz FM voice, 67 Hz tone Downlink: 435.300 MHz FM voice The digital transponder on 435.150 will be turned off during the event. [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN and the AO-51 Team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.05 AO-51 AMSAT Kid's Day Certificate AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.05 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.05 The AO-51 Operations Team, made up of the AMSAT VP-Operations, AO-51 Command Team, and AO-51 Operations Group are sponsoring a certificate for kids making a contact during AMSAT Kid's Day on June 11, 2005. The award is free, and is supported and administrated by KE4AZN. The certificate is available to any kid that makes a contact with another amateur radio station during the AMSAT Kid's Day Event. The contacted station does not have to be operated by a kid. To receive your certificate, please mail a confirmation of contact to the following address: AMSAT Kid's Day Certificate c/o Michael Kingery - KE4AZN 1251 County Road 445 Enterprise, AL 36330 U.S.A. Your confirmation can be a QSL card from you or the amateur control station, a note on a piece of paper, or anything you can come up with. Use your imagination! Please add a short note (a couple of paragraphs) about your experience talking through an operational amateur radio satellite. Some of the best cards and notes will be used for a future AMSAT Journal article. Also, digital pictures and notes can be sent to ke4azn@amsat.org for potential inclusion in the Journal article. The certificate is free, and no SASE is required. The certificate is available to any kid, anywhere in the world. Have fun and enjoy AO-51! [ANS thanks Mike, KE4AZN and the AO-51 Team for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.06 An Amateur Radio Station on Columbus AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.06 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.06 AN AMATEUR RADIO STATION ON COLUMBUS November 2002, ARISS Europe extended a request to ESA Directorate for Manned Space Flight and Microgravity, asking for ham radio facilities on Columbus, the European ISS laboratory presently under construction. In 2003 ESA's Columbus division agreed on the principle. The project is to install amateur radio antennas on the nadir of Columbus, i.e. underneath the module, facing the earth. The antennas will be installed before launch. Columbus will be transported in the bay of an American Shuttle. Therefore, since little room is left between the module and the Shuttle bay, the ARISS antennas will be patch antennas, flat planes a few millimetres thick. The patch antennas will be fixed to the Meteorite Debris Panels (MDP) protecting the hull of Columbus. On the conical end of the module, where it attaches to the ISS main structure, feedthroughs have been installed for the ARISS antennas and coax cables are run from the feedthroughs to the nadir. The development of the antennas is presently taken care of by the Institute of Telecommunications and Acoustics of the Wroclaw University of Technology. The proposed Columbus antennas will work on UHF, L-band and S-band. For VHF, the surface available on the Meteorite Debris Panels is not sufficient. BENEFITS OF ADDING ARISS ANTENNAS TO THE COLUMBUS MODULE The existing ARISS antennas on the Service Module are shared through diplexers and will not be especially effective on the microwave bands. Using the dedicated antennas on Columbus will, for the first time, permit viable ARISS operations on these useful bands. With the Columbus module being located at some considerable distance from the other two ARISS stations, this will permit parallel operations on the new bands at the same time as the existing operations. The availability of these new frequencies will enable us to establish wideband and video operations for the first time. This facility will provide ATV facilities for School contacts and, additionally, continuous transponder operation. The Columbus module is designed to undertake experiments but may also be used as temporary sleeping accommodation for the European astronauts. It is anticipated that most, if not all of them, will be licensed amateurs. Different sleep patterns of the astronauts can restrict the existing operations so this "remote" facility would overcome this constraint. To summarise, the addition of these new antennas will provide greatly enhanced opportunities for amateur radio operations on the ISS and an additional emergency communication facility for the astronauts. FUNDING THE ARISS ANTENNAS ON COLUMBUS The construction of Columbus has reached its final stage. The ARISS antennas shall be installed in the Autumn 2005. A most important aspect has to be solved: funding. The installation cost of the ARISS antennas on Columbus exceeds 100.000 euro (coaxial feedthroughs, coax cables on the hull of the module, etc.) ESA initially offered to support 50.000 euro of this amount. Presently ESA HAS DECIDED TO COVER THE INSTALLATION COST COMPLETELY. This is most welcome since the development and manufacturing of the antennas will cost 80.000 euro. Half of this sum has to paid by ARISS in June 2005. The other 40.000 euro can be paid by the end of the year. Presently we have collected about 9.000 euro and 20.000 euro have been pledged. We still need TO COLLECT 11.000 EURO IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. CALL FOR DONATIONS Taking into account that time is very short, ARISS-Europe extends an urgent call for donations to the IARU and AMSAT societies as well as to their members individually. A financial account has been opened by AMSAT Belgium. Donators within the European Union will not have to pay any additional banking costs (beyond the costs of a national money transfer) if they use the following international banking number (IBAN) and mention the international identification code (BIC): AMSAT Belgium 001-2306592-08 IBAN BE63 0012 3065 9208 BIC GEBABEBB Without any additional cost for international money transfer, even the smallest donation is useful and will be most appreciated. Please don't forget to reference the transfer as "Donation Columbus". PAYPAL If you have a PayPal account you can easily make a donation by using the "Donate" button in the left column of the ARISS-Europe Columbus website page: www.ariss-eu.org/columbus.htm Even if you don't have a PayPal account you can use your credit card to make a PayPal donation for the Columbus project. Simply click the "Donate" button and follow instructions. CREDITS On the ARISS-Europe website a special Columbus page has been added. Donations are listed from societies as well as from individuals. Taking into account the regulations on privacy protection, donations are listed as anonymous, unless the donator states his identity as reference for the transfer. This list is permanently updated and distance from the target shown. THANKS On behalf of all the volunteering parties involved in the project, we extend thanks to all donators. This is a great goal for amateur radio at its best. 18 May, 2005 Gaston Bertels, ON4WF ARISS-Europe Chairman Avenue Paul Hymans 117 B29 B-1200 Brussels, Belgium E-mail : gaston.bertels@skynet.be http://www.ariss-eu.org [ANS thanks Ian, G3ZHI for the above information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.07 AMSAT-UK at The Space Technology Education Conference AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.07 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD. May 22, 2005 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-142.07 The Space Technology Education Conference (STEC2005) took place at Aarlborg university in northern Denmark over the 6-8th of April and consisted of various keynote presentations and over 40 technical workshops. Over one hundred university students attended from many European countries and many came as a result of direct ESA sponsorship that they received having submitted papers to ESA for assessment. There was an exhibition and display area and one evening was spent performing seriously detailed checks on the specific gravity of the various Danish beers. The organisation at Aarlborg rested upon a team of students and was largely members of the Groundstation and OBC teams that have been formed for the SSETI Express project. This was done very well and during the conference we even got to see the "control room" for SSETI Express. Two members from AMSAT-UK had attended the 2004 conference and decided that AMSAT needed some more robust representation than last year so we were delighted when Jan King, VK4GEY/W3GEY, agreed to do a keynote on "The lessons we have learnt over 50 Oscars" - this was well received and he was also able to briefly introduce his new suite of link/power/mass budget spreadsheets. These are, without doubt, wonderful tools for satellite developers to use to verify their own calculations in these vital areas of system design. Presently his presentation and these spreadsheets can be downloaded from http://lmts.epfl.ch/page10433.html. Graham Shirville, G3VZV, was also able to give a short presentation on the IARU Satellite Coordination Group and described the process that has to be followed to ensure that the right sort of satellites use "our" allocations and what else has to be done in addition. In addition Ib, OZ1MY, the Chairman of AMSAT-OZ, was also in attendance and as he is already known to a good number of the student fraternity in Denmark this was especially helpful. He provided some AO-51 demonstrations and helped Jim, G3WGM, setup and man the AMSAT stand in the exhibition arena. We were also asked to chair the "Communications" technical workshop during the Conference where a number of RF associated papers were presented. Other keynote presentations included one from Prof Bob Twiggs - the father of the cubesat family and also licensed as KE6QMD so there was a considerable amount of AMSAT input. This was a great event that enabled these enthusiastic students to learn about the AMSAT experience and skills and for us to be able to discuss with them their ideas and problems. We have a lot to offer them and their enthusiasm lays the ground for the future generation of amateur satellite builders. One of the projects described during the Conference is called Delfi-C3 and is a triple cubesat i.e. 300x100x100mm. This project comes from the University of Delft in the Netherlands and will hopefully include a U/V linear transponder as part of its payload. See http://www.delfic3.tudelft.nl/ for full details. A number of the speakers at STEC2005 have expressed a desire to attend our AMSAT-UK Colloquium in July and to give us updated presentations on their projects so the interaction is set to continue in a positive way. [ANS thanks Graham, G3VZV for the above information] /EX