========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY APRIL 26, 1993 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution. * STS-55 NEWS * =============== The primary goals of the STS-55 mission are to perform studies in materials and life science research. A 9 day flight of Space Shuttle Columbia is planned. Launch is scheduled for 24-Apr-93 at 14:52 UTC. The following are the prelaunch predicted elements for STS-55, provided by Robert Kliman at JSC. STS-55 will also carry SAREX and should provide more opportunities for contacts, especially packet. On this flight there are two amateur radio antennas, one in the flight deck window and one external antenna on the spacelab module in the payload bay. STS-55 1 00055U 93114.67000478 .00120200 00000-0 36300-3 0 69 2 00055 28.4697 267.1108 0003812 314.2100 45.8202 15.90487610 22 Satellite: STS-55 Catalog number: 00055 Epoch time: 93114.67000478 = (24 APR 93 16:04:48.41 UTC) Element set: JSC-006 Inclination: 28.4697 deg RA of node: 267.1108 deg Space Shuttle Flight STS-55 Eccentricity: .0003812 Prelaunch Keplerian Elements Arg of perigee: 314.2100 deg Launch: 24 APR 93 14:52 UTC Mean anomaly: 45.8202 deg Mean motion: 15.90487610 rev/day G. L. Carman Decay rate: 1.2020e-03 rev/day*2 NASA Johnson Space Center Epoch rev: 2 G.L.CARMAN The seven person crew on STS-55 includes ham radio operators Steve Nagel, N5RAW, Jerry Ross, N5SCW, Charlie Precourt, KB5YSQ, Hans Schlegel, DG1KIH and Ulrich Walter, DG1KIM. SAREX operations planned on this flight includes 2-meter voice and packet. The primary voice callsign will be N5RAW. The packet radio callsign is W5RRR-1. The 2-meter FM voice and packet downlinks for the SAREX station are on 145.550 MHz. Uplinks are: Voice Packet Europe 144.80 144.49 144.75 144.70 Rest of World 144.99 144.49 144.97 144.95 144.93 144.91 Note: The crew will not favor any specific voice uplink frequency, so your ability to communicate with SAREX will be the "luck of the draw." For all operations, Earth stations should listen to the downlink frequency and transmit only when the Shuttle is in range and the astronauts are on the air. Listen for any instructions from the astronauts as to specific uplink frequencies in use during the current pass. Also, listen to the uplink frequencies before transmitting to avoid interference to other users. In addition to the U.S. SAREX ham gear in the Shuttle mid-deck, an additional ham radio station will be flown in the German spacelab module. This station, designated SAFEX (for Spacelab Amateurfunk-Experiment), includes a 2-meter FM downlink and a 70-cm FM uplink capability. A dual band (2-meter/70-cm) external antenna, mounted on the German spacelab module, will be used for SAFEX contacts. Payload Specialists Schlegel and Walter expect to make a few scheduled contacts with European schools with this equipment. The externally mounted SAFEX antenna gives the SAREX team an opportunity to compare the performance of the U.S. SAREX window mounted antenna to an externally mounted antenna. A special A/B antenna test is planned on orbits 61 and 62 using the normal SAREX downlink frequency, 145.550 MHz. During orbit 61 the crew will transmit using the SAREX window antenna and on orbit 62 the crew will use the SAFEX external antenna. Individuals in the Southeastern U.S. are welcome to help participate in this test by taking signal strength readings of the received signal for both orbit passes. [Info via Gary Morris, KK6YB, and Frank Bauer, KA3HDO] * ARSENE LAUNCH DELAY * ======================= Bernard, F6BVP and Michel F2GM, report that an accident damaged the omnidirectional antenna of the ASTRA satellite, thus the Ariane V56 launch is delayed 10 days if the antenna is repairable, or 3 weeks if it must be replaced. [Info by James P. Dugal, N5KNX] * MESSAGE FROM MIR * ==================== In a packet radio communications exchange between Mir cosmonauts and Amateur Radio operator Dave Larson, N6JLH, cosmonaut Alex recently conveyed the following thoughts: Children are our future and we are ready for a dialog with them. Today (12-Apr-93) we are involved in the French experiments "Illuzion" and "Viminal". Systems on-board Mir are working well. I am the EVA engineer. Gennadiy Manakov is the test pilot. I have a daughter, Lyouba, 13 years old. Gennadiy has a daughter, 16, and a son, Alexsey, 8. We would also like for our children to make friends with others through communication with others. We are travelling around the world every 90 minutes at an altitude of 400 kilometers. The Earth is very beautiful, and is home for us all. Best 73, Alex Joe Dreifuss, WA2GSY, reports the cosmonauts were busy with EVA activities scheduled on April 19, 23, and 27th. * PHASE 3D FREQUENCIES * ======================== At the P3D transponder meeting in Muenchen (Germany), the following frequencies were chosen for the P3D satellite: Downlink frequencies ( Satellite to Earth ) 1. 10 GHz ( 3cm ) 10.451000 - 10.451500 GHz 2. 2.4 GHz ( 13 cm ) 2400.500 - 2400.900 MHz 3. 435 MHz ( 70 cm ) 436.000 - 436.400 MHz 4. 29 MHz ( 10 m ) 29.310/29.320/29.330/29.340/29.350 MHz one frequency selected by the control station. Uplink frequencies ( Earth to Satellite ) 1. 1.2 GHz ( 23 cm ) A: 1269.000 - 1269.500 MHz B: 1269.500 - 1270.000 MHz 2. 435 MHz ( 70 cm ) A: 435.200 - 435.700 MHz B: 436.000 - 436.500 MHz 3. 145 MHz ( 2 m ) 145.800 - 145.975 MHz All bands except the 29 MHz band are switched in a matrix and allow any configuration of operational modes. Minor last minute changes or additions are still possible if necessary depending on transponder builders. A more detailed frequency plan will be distributed as soon as all final technical details are available. [Info via Freddy de Guchteneire ON6UG, IARU Satellite Coordinator] * FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Mail to SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the following paths: FAX :1-908-747-7107 UUCP :...catfish.ocpt.ccur.com!ka2qhd!kd2bd PACKET :KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET:kd2bd@ka2qhd.ocpt.ccur.com -or- kd2bd@amsat.org 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 y