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Text File | 1988-03-22 | 17.4 KB | 330 lines

****************************************************************************** * AMSAT NA News Service Bulletins * * NEWS072 12Mar88 * * [ Copyright 1988 by AMSAT NA, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ] * * [ Permission is granted for unlimited redistribution by electronic or ] * * [ other means provided credit is given to AMSAT NA News Service (ANS). ] * * [ Edited for AMSAT NA by WA2LQQ. ] * * [ (N)=New story; (U)=Updated story; (R)=Reprieved story ] * ****************************************************************************** Headlines: 1.(N) V-21 Launch Success Means Phase 3C Is Even Closer To Luanch 2.(N) SKITREK Progress Report #7 3.(N) Solar Physicist Suggests Early, Intense Solar Max Possible 4.(N) Kettering Group Identifies Mystery Object Shadowing Mir 5.(N) Short Bursts ****************************************************************************** 1.(N) V-21 Launch Success Means Phase 3C Is Even Closer To Luanch Arianespace, the management and marketing arm of the European Space Agency, notched another impressive advance late Friday evening when its V-21 mission lifted flawlessly into a cloudy Kourou sky. The launch just under 4 months since the last success on November 20 and sets the stage for V-22 and V-23 in May. V-21 lifted off at the very opening of the launch window at 23:28:00 UTC, March 11. The countdown went perfectly with no holds or deviations. It was one of the most trouble-free launches in the Ariane program. The launch countdown and liftoff together with the obligatory post-launch interviews was broadcast on TV on several satellites including Spacenet 1, transponder 19. Although the countdown proceeded without a hitch, there have been other impediments to V-21's launch. For example, the launch had been delayed approximately two months while Arianespace's extremely conservative management verified some anomalous readings obtained in tests on a third stage engine late last year. A more recent delay was caused by a failed acceptance test procedure on the sophisticated cryogenic HM-10 third stage. The launcher carried two major telecommunications satellites to orbit. the U.S. Spacenet 3R was built by General Electric and is owned by GTE. This is the first U.S. commercial patload to reach orbit in two years. The European Telecom 1C was also launched. A one week launch delay was incurred when payload specialists made last minute modifications to Telecom 1C to try to avoid problems which now plague its predecessor, Telecom 1A, in orbit. Spacenet was spun up and deposited in its Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) 18 minutes and 28 seconds after launch. At 20 minutes and 37 seconds the huge SYLDA cannister opened and five seconds later Telecom 1C was inserted into GTO. The deployments occurred over northern Africa while in view of the Libreville, Gabon ESA tracking station. Each satellite will soon fire a kick motor to circularize the orbit at geosynchronous altitude. Each will then be maneuvered around the equator to its assigned station. This should occur in a week or two. The success of V-21 notches another achievement on the road towards getting AMSAT's Phase 3C satellite in orbit. The next Ariane launch is V-22 with Intelsat V scheduled for May 11. V-23 with AMSAT Phase 3C, METEOSAT and PANAMSAT is scheduled for May 26. AMSAT launch support preparations will swing into high gear about March 29 with the dispatch to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, of support teams from AMSAT DL and AMSAT NA. If all goes well and the launch takes place as scheduled, Phase 3C may be available for general use towards the end of June. Springtime this year would thus me a great time to get your stations ready for the most powerful and capable OSCAR ever! A reminder is in order too. Many of the technical details of Phase 3C are being published in Amateur Satellite Report. ASR is a member service so you'll want to insure your membership is current. If you haven't renewed, you should do so immediately so you wont miss out on any of the information crucial to your getting your Phase 3C station up and running and ready for the commencement of operations. Renew your AMSAT membership today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2.(N) SKITREK Progress Report #7 [Insert SKITREK Progress Report #7 direct from Rich Ensign in this position] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3.(N) Solar Physicist Suggests Early Solar Max Possible and Very Intense According to the Director of Solar Physics Research at NOAA's Space Environment Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, the peak of the current solar cycle could occur much earlier than had been expected. And, if current trends continue, it could be the most intense ever recorded exceeding even the monumental heights of the legendary 1957 solar maximum. Quoted in the March 8 New York Times, Dr. Patrick McIntosh believes the next solar maximum could occur as early as the end of 1988 instead of in 1992 as it would if the cycle ran its "normal" 11 year course. The last minimum occurred in September, 1986. Solar activity levels, Dr. McIntosh said, could reach those normally associated with maximums as early as this summer if the current trends continue. Dr. McIntosh bases his predictions on three key indices: the total number of sunspots and clusters of sunspots; the rate of increase in 10 cm wavelength radio noise; and the progression of "polar crowns" towards the solar poles. Polar crowns are ribbon-like loops of intense magnetic fields the movement of which is closely coupled with high levels of solar activity. McIntosh cautions that predicting solar activity is particularly risky and the currently rapidly rising trends might just as suddenly flatten out. Nevertheless, NASA is taking the warnings seriously. During the last solar cycle, NASA was strongly criticized for reacting slowly to warnings the 1980 solar max would occur early and more energetically than usual. As a result, no special measures were taken to save the 85 ton Spacelab. It subsequently deorbited in 1979 spewing debris widely over Australia. This time around NASA is heeding the warnings and says it is drawing up plans to rescue some vulnerable satellites. Ironically, one of its most vulnerable is the Solar Maximum Mission, SMM, the very satellite designed to study such high levels of solar activity. At 293 miles altitude, this satellite could fall from the sky in as little 11 months from now unless boosted to a higher orbit, NASA said. Meanwhile, according to reliable U.S. sources, the Soviets are said to be discussing mounting a mission to carefully destroy the now-abandoned Salyut-7 space station to avoid the danger that large chunks of it might survive a fiery plummet to earth in the near future. The Mir space station is in no danger, however, since it maintains its altitude using propulsion from station keeping jets. Mir is periodically refueled from the ground by Progress cargo shipments. No such shipments have been made to the Salyut-7. The onset of an early solar maximum and especially an intense one could affect AMSAT planning officials said. The lowest flying current OSCAR, UoSAT OSCAR 9, would probably be the first to reenter. Moreover, the expected lifetime of several satellite projects now in the planning and construction stages could be affected. UoSAT-C could, in effect, be launched right during the intense solar maximum if Dr. McIntosh's preliminary data and the trends he sees continue. This would affect its orbital lifetime dramatically. UoSAT-C likely will be launched in early 1989. Moreover, a hypothetical PACSAT launch from the Mir Space Station, a project that has been under discussion by AMSAT-NA for more than a year, will have to be re-examined in light of the possibility of an intense, early solar maximum AMSAT officials said. A 12 to 18 month lifetime might be expected for a small free-flying satellite at Mir's altitude in a period of a relatively quiet sun. But during a solar maximum, 6 months might be all that could be attained. Other effects would certainly be seen on RS-10/11. Its 10 meter downlink would often be unheard on the ground because it is well above the F2 layer. When solar activity is high and the MUF is near 29 MHz, signals from satellites outside the ionosphere are refracted back into space and very little reaches the ground. On the brighter side, occasional antipodal propagation of satellite downlinks often accompanies such situations. The next several months will be very interesting to watch to see if the trends continue, AMSAT officials concluded. "If these predictions turn out to be accurate," one AMSAT pundit was heard to say, "it looks like we'll be having have a flock of `Chicken Little' contests!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4.(N) Kettering Group Identifies Mystery Object Shadowing Mir Last February 9, several dozen Mir watchers in the Denver area saw a mysterious second object shadowing the Russian Space Station across the sky. AMSAT Regional Coordinator Jack Crabtree, AA0P, reported seeing flashes from the second object. But it was not seen subsequently. A call went out to help identify the mystery object. Now the call has been answered by the famous Kettering Group of Northants, England. According to Geoff Perry, the group's oft-quoted leader, the answer lies in an analysis of the orbital elements of objects in orbits near to Mir. Perry says the best fit results from assuming the object was the Soyuz TM3 module. Computer projections by Kettering for the view from Denver that night show the TM3 would indeed have been seen as it had been thus strongly suggesting an ID for the mystery object: the Soyuz TM3 module! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5.(N) Short Bursts The AMSAT Board of Directors planned to meet at its Silver Spring, MD, headquarters March 12 and 13. Watch for a summary next week. *** Ann Willert, N6GVP, says she accomplished the first U.S. to mainland China QSOs via satellite on January 22, 25 and 26 when she QSOed BY1PK on AMSAT OSCAR 10 from her Los Angeles home. Ann visited Beijing and, after returning to the U.S. last June, she engaged in extensive correspondence with the Director of the BY1PK station to clarify matters involving tracking software and mutual visibility. The payoff came in late January with the first QSO. QSL cards have been received. *** AMSAT callsign badge orders will soon be filled. AMSAT has found a reliable source for the badges. Tooling for production is being prepared. All back orders should be on their way soon. Sorry for the delay while we sought a replacement for Wendell Rice, K6MFJ, who recently retired after many years of service. *** The West Germans have given up trying to free the stuck solar panel on the TVSat-1 satellite. It was launched last November 20 on an Ariane 2 rocket and successfully achieved orbit. But a stuck solar panel has wrecked plans to use the satellite as the centerpiece of a European direct broadcast satellite system. After many tries at freeing the panel including shaking the satellite with the station keeping jets, the authorities concluded there was no more that could be done. It has been declared a total loss. Insurance will cover only about $60 million of the estimated $230 million loss to the German government. ***************************************************************************** RECENT NEWS IN REVIEW ===================== Headlines: 6.(R) AMSAT To Brief PACSAT To U.N. Health Officials 7.(R) Field Operations Appointments 8.(R) New Publications Emphasize Technical Aspects 9.(U) FO-12 Operating Schedule ****************************************************************************** 6.(R) AMSAT To Brief PACSAT To U.N. Health Officials AMSAT has been invited to participate in a meeting near Geneva March 19 through March 21 to discuss possible applications of AMSAT-developed space systems and earth terminals to terrestrial health problems. AMSAT has developed a technical proposal for a joint US-USSR project to fly a PACSAT on the Mir Space Station within 12 months. This PACSAT would use Amateur Radio-developed technology but NOT on Amateur Radio frequencies. An Amateur Radio PACSAT would be constructed in parallel since the techniques involved would be identical and they could be built essentially side-by-side at a cost savings. AMSAT will demonstrate packet radio at the meeting to show the basic technique and typical equipment. The hardware demonstration is being supported by three companies. Radio Shack is supplying the computers, Yaesu is providing the HTs and TASCO of Japan is supplying their ultra-miniature TNCs which are the size of a pack of cigarettes. JAMSAT officials were especially helpful in obtaining the TASCO TNCs and expediting them to the U.S. Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, AMSAT's VP of Operations, is integrating the demo equipment. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 7.(R) Field Operations Appointments AMSAT-NA Vice President of Field Operations, Doug Loughmiller, KO5I announces the following appointments: Ross Forbes, WB6GFJ has been named AMSAT Regional Coordinator for the Pacific region. K.O. Learner, K9PVW of Kokomo,IN has been named acting Regional Coordinator for the Great Lakes region. K.O. will be acting on behalf of Larry Koziel, K8MU who is AMSAT's Great Lakes Regional Coordinator. Larry will be out of the country on business for the next several months. Ronald M. Pogue, KD9QB of Noblesville,IN and Dr. David L. Filmer, WB9QPG of West Lafayette,IN have been appointed AMSAT Area Coordinators by AMSAT Vice President of Field Operations, Doug Loughmiller, KO5I. Mr. Pogue will represent AMSAT in the Indianapolis,IN area while Dr. Filmer,a professor at Purdue University, will coordinate AMSAT activities in the West Lafayette,IN area. Both individuals are highly active in AMSAT activities in their area and will be a welcomed addition to the Area Coordinator team. AMSAT congratulates all of the recent appointees and looks forward to their future involvement in our organization. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 8.(R) New Publications Emphasize Technical Aspects According to Bob Diersing, N5AHD, Editor of the AMSAT Technical Journal, Volume 2 of the Technical Journal is coming off the presses. Articles in Volume 2 include Spacecraft Technology Trends by WD4FAB, Phase 3 Propulsion Systems by W4PUJ, Phase 4 Spaceframe Design by WD4FAB, Initial Phase 3D Radio Link Concepts by DJ4ZC, RUDAK Traffic Control by DK1YQ, PSK Interface for the TNC-1 by DB2OS, NUSAT Software by WA3PSD, Antennas for Low Earth Orbit Missions by N5BF and the Phase 3 IHU by KE3D. Orders for the AMSAT Technical Journal, Volume 2, may now be placed with AMSAT Headquarters. The Proceedings of the 1987 AMSAT Space Symposium held in Detroit are now available. The publication contains an excellent collection of first-rate papers presented in Detroit by some of AMSAT's top technical experts on topics ranging from current projects to the far-out future concepts now coming into focus. The Proceedings may be ordered from Headquarters now. AMSAT Headquarters has received a limited supply of the UK IERE publication containing detailed UoSAT OSCAR 11 papers. This publication may also be obtained now directly from AMSAT HQ. Back issues of Amateur Satellite Report are also available. All issues going back to number 1 in 1981 are available to complete your library. Inquire at AMSAT HQ for prices on these back issues. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 9.(U) FO-12 Operating Schedule JARL has announced the new FO-12 operating schedule as follows: Mode From (UTC) -------------------- [Net stations may JA 12 01:41 announce as many lines D 14 01:55 as appropriate] JD 17 05:22 DI 18 06:30 JD 19 03:33 DI 20 04:42 JD 21 03:47 DI 22 04:55 JD 23 04:01 DI 24 05:09 JD 26 03:21 D 27 04:28 JA 30 01:46 D Mar/31 02:54 Mode JA : Linear Transponder Mode JD : Mailbox Mode DI : Charging mode Mode D : Charging mode with CPU/MEMORY kept ON The transponders will be off at other times. This schedule may be changed at any time due to unexpected power situations. *****************************************************************************