BID: $SPC0816 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY AUGUST 16, 1993 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution. * NASA NEWS * ============= Space Shuttle Discovery's main engines shut off during the last seconds of countdown this morning to scrub the launch of the STS-51 mission. This was Discovery's third launch attempt. NASA managers are continuing to evaluate the data to determine what caused the onboard computers to halt the launch. At present, there is no word as to how long the mission will be delayed. Preparations for the upcoming STS-61 mission are continuing on schedule as some flight hardware arrived at the Kennedy Space Center. Some of this flight hardware will hold the Hubble replacement components inside Endeavour's payload bay during the mission. The Hubble servicing mission is scheduled for launch in December. Mission duration is targeted for 11 days with five spacewalks planned. The seven member crew's mission objective is to service the space telescope. [Info via NASA] * MARS OBSERVER NEWS * ====================== On Monday, July 26th, NASA's Mars Observer spacecraft turned on its camera for a first peek at the Red Planet. Mars Observer is the first American probe to go to Mars since the Vikings did so in the mid-1970's. The spacecraft is still several weeks from its arrival date, August 24th, but even from a distance of 6,000,000 km the camera will still be able to resolve 300 picture elements ("pixels") across the planet's half-lit crescent. Details will actually exceed those of the best Earth-based images, about 23 km per pixel. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory plans to make one of the images available for publication in early August. * MICROSAT FROM CHILE * ======================= The first Microsat of Chile, named CEsar-1, will be launched the first months of 1995, according to an announcement made by the Radio Club Federation in Santiago, who will control the satellite when it is in orbit. The satellite will be a Microsat class and will orbit at an altitide of 900 km. The Radio Club Federation said that CEsar-1 will help the comunication between local radio amateurs and the rest of the world. [Info via Gustavo, LW2DTZ, AMSAT LU Vice President] * V59 LAUNCH RE-SCHEDULED * =========================== Arianespace V59, which will carry SPOT-3, along with KITSAT-B, PoSAT-A, ITAMSAT-A and EYESAT-A as secondary payloads has been rescheduled for launch 21 September. The SPOT-3 launch campaign has been suspended and will resume at J-21 on the 27th of August. ("J minus 21" is what would be called "T minus 21 days" on a NASA launch, indicating 21 working days to launch.) Apart from SPOT-3, there are SIX other payloads:- Stella: German geodetic satellite (like LAGEOS) HealthSat: Commercial satellite based on UoSat bus. PoSat: Commercial satellite based on UoSat bus, has amateur compoment. Itamsat: Amateur satellite based on Microsat bus. KitSat-B: Amateur satellite based on UoSat bus. Eyesat-A: Commercial Microsat (also has amateur component called AMRAD). The ejection sequence has SPOT-3 separated at T+1036 (1036 seconds after launch); Stella at T+1252; Kitsat, Posat, Healthsat at T+1376; Eyesat, Itamsat just after Kitsat/Posat/Healthsat (typically about one second later). There is no information whether the separation springs have different forces so the satellites will separate and not collide. Suggested OSCAR numbers (in order of ejection and alphabetical order): KO-25, PO-26, AO-27, IO-28. [Info via Jeff Ward, G0SUL/K8KA, and Richard, G3RWL] * OSCAR NEWS BRIEFS * ===================== WEBERSAT: Mondays will be "spectrometer day" starting soon. RS-14/OSCAR-21: will continue the digital voice and FM repeater operations. Tests have been conducted with 9600 bps data and more digital operation at this speed is expected (but the AMSAT-DL guys are VERY busy with P3D). AMSAT-DL expect to experiment soon with FAX and SSTV images. The parent GEOS payload is switched off now and Russian FEES have been PAID for, to keep AO-21 operational until at least December 1994. ARSENE: 2m operations are thought to be VERY unlikely. Enough nitrogen remains for one attitude correction activity per year for five years. UoSATs: G0SUL will be resuming work on Pacsat-protocol operations at about the time of the SPOT-3 launch and new features (including separate directories for BBS traffic) can be expected to appear shortly afterwards. Uploads will be done by means of UI packets enabling software to combine the features of PB and PG. Apparently one of Jeff's limitations is that KISS software does not allow flow-control on the link between the PC and the TNC. [Info via Richard, G3RWL] * OSCAR-13 NEWS * ================= To mode-S users; the beacon is on for the first MA of each mode-S session MA 30-31, in addition to the regular MA 55-60. This is to allow direct measurement of squint angle to improve our attitude estimate. 10 watts to a 16 turn helix (400 w eirp) is more than adequate for mode-S SSB. A few daily stations using at least 150 watts to big antennas are making it almost impossible for newcomers to experiment. Give 'em a chance please? Magnetorquing from attitude 150/0 to 180/0 will commence on Aug 14 [Sat] 1407 UTC, orbit 3957/224, and continue for 5 perigees. Estimated interim attitudes will be Orbit Alon/Alat: 3958 153/1 3959 159/-1 3960 165/-3 3961 172/-4 3962 178/-5. For command purposes during this 3-day period mode-S beacon is ON MA 55-60 and MA 145-150, i.e. mode-B OFF. The new schedule will be uploaded on orbit 3961 at MA 145. Mode BS will initially be MA 150-180 only. [Info via James, G3RUH] * SpaceNews VIA INTERNET * ========================== Those wishing to access SpaceNews off the Internet are reminded they may do so by using the "finger" command: finger magliaco@pilot.njin.net. * THANKS! * =========== Thanks to all those who sent messages of appreciation regarding SpaceNews, especially: IW4BKW N5RHI N8MLU TG9SO * 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