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Text File | 1988-04-08 | 15.7 KB | 289 lines

****************************************************************************** * AMSAT NA News Service Bulletins * * NEWS086 26Mar88 * * [ 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. ] * ****************************************************************************** S P E C I A L N O T E [Note to NCS and other communicators: We will no longer be carrying the "Recent News In Review" section. You should, however, assure you have the prior week's bulletins on hand to recap important items. Most news items have a lifetime of about two weeks. Also, for packet BBS activities, beginning this week, a specially formatted version of the bulletins is available to facilitate transmission through the packet network. These will be transmitted under the format ANS-abc.xy where: ANS = AMSAT News Service; abc is the release date and xy is the serial number. For example, the first story below would be coded ANS-086.01 ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Headlines: 1. Meeting Clears Way To Soviet Launch Of AMSAT-Built PACSAT 2. Soviet Shuttle Launch Imminent Sources Indicate 3. Skitrek Progress Report #9A 4. Skitrek Communications Working Well 5. Soviet SL-4 Booster Re-Enters With Florish Over Texas 6. FO-12 Sked For April Announced 7. Short Bursts ***************************************************************************** 1. Meeting Clears Way To Soviet Launch Of AMSAT-Built PACSAT AMSAT NA leaders met with United Nations and Soviet Space Research Institute representatives recently near Geneva, Switzerland. Progress was made towards realizing launching various packet radio satellites initially from the Mir space station and later possibly from other Soviet launchers. This could lead to a cooperative program of satellite construction and launch as has occasionally been done for various scientific packages. Although many details remain to be addressed and serious impediments still exist, all sides expressed cautious optimism that the objectives could be obtained. The initial objective is to launch a small packet radio store-and-forward satellite for the SatelLife group based in Boston within 18 months. Tentatively dubbed HEALTHSAT-1, the satellite would provide prototype electronic mail service for physicians working in remote areas where communications are difficult or non-existent. HEALTHSAT-1 would operate near but not on Amateur frequencies if licensing on space research frequencies can be coordinated with international authorities. In the event coordination is impossible, the satellite will be licensed under Amateur rules and operate on Amateur frequencies. In this case the spacecraft would revert to one of the OSCAR series and be used by the general Amateur Radio Satellite community. Under this scenario, it could be used by SatelLife for limited scope "proof-of-concept" limited duration experiments by licensed Amateurs as has been customary in the past. Meanwhile, it would of course be available for normal Amateur satellite QSOs by all licensed Amateurs. The primary approach will be, however, to license the satellite under non-Amateur space research frequencies near the 2 meter and 70 cm Amateur bands. The satellite would be manually deployed from Mir. First it would be transported to Mir-rendezvous by a Progress cargo rocket. Then it would be manually deployed by a Cosmonaut into orbit. Because of the low orbit of Mir, the orbit of HEALTHSAT-1 will soon decay. An orbital lifetime of one year is nominally expected. However, if solar activity picks up significantly, the orbital lifetime could be truncated to 6 months or so. Mode J-type operation is envisioned for HEALTHSAT-1. The satellite will be optimized for use by very low performance ground stations. Attache case-sized portable units will be the benchmark. A lap top computer, micro TNC, a 2 meter and a 70 cm HT plus a small turnstile antenna for 2 meters and a 5/8 vertical for 70 cm will be all that's required to link up at up to 4800 bps. This all will fit into the typical attache case for ease of transport and establishment. Representatives of the Soviet Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute delegation attended the meeting. Representatives of the United Nations included five individuals from the World Health Organization based in Geneva. The Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union was on hand as was the Under Secretary General of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from Geneva. A senior UNESCO representative also attended. Attending the meeting for AMSAT NA were its Chairman and Chief Engineer Jan King, W3GEY, and its President Vern Riportella, WA2LQQ. The meeting was held March 19 through 21 in Annecy, France, 50 km south of Geneva. The attendees learned of the technical aspects of the first HEALTHSAT satellite from AMSAT. Then they witnessed a simulated PACSAT demonstration using two complete earth terminals to transfer files as would be done on HEALTHSAT. The terminals consisted of Tandy Model 1400 LT laptop computers on loan from Tandy, Forth Worth. The radios were Yaesu model FT-73 70 cm HTs on loan from Yaesu through the courtesy of Mike Henderson, N6JFD, of Yaesu. The micro-TNCs were supplied by TASCO through the kindness of JAMSAT officials in Japan. Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, lead a small team in the demo system test and integration in Iowa prior to the meeting. The attendees seemed very impressed by the errorless transmission and the evident portability of the terminals. A mid-1989 launch for HEALTHSAT-1 is planned subject to a more closely defined schedule. Launches of Amateur radio satellites aboard various Soviet launchers is a definite possibility AMSAT NA officials suggested. And, in a spirit of mutuality and balance, Russian-developed and built satellites might be launched in the U.S. they said. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2. Soviet Shuttle Launch Imminent Sources Indicate Preparations appear to be complete and the first launch of the Soviet space shuttle appears to be imminent. Radio Moscow has said the launch will be covered on live TV. In the past, Cable News Network has re-broadcast network feeds in the U.S. from the Russian InterSputnik TV network. John Biro, K1KSY, says he's monitoring increased Soviet tracking ship activity which is normally indicative of imminent space activity. The shuttle will be an unmanned test. A previous Tass article had an article from Alexander Dunayev, director of the launch management agency Glavcosmos who said that a reusable spaceship would be launched in the Soviet Union soon. In other Soviet space activity, Cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov have been working in space for 95 days. On Friday, March 25, they were busy preparing for the docking of Progress-35. P-35 is to dock with space station Mir Saturday, March 26. The crew is checking out a new photo-telegraph system intended to transmit scientific and technical data to the manned complex. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3. Skitrek Progress Report #9A The Amateur Radio supported Transpolar Skitrek Expedition made excellent progress across the frozen Arctic Ocean in the early part of the past week. Calm days made the -35 degree Celsius temperatures bearable as the skiers trekking averaged more than 20 km per day. Ice conditions were excellent with few hummocks, cracks in the ice or leads of open water. The skiers are in excellent spirits and have developed into a closely knit team, despite cultural differences. The Arctic is full of surprises, however, and the "moving group" (a term expedition communicators use to refer to the skiers) found the going very difficult as the week progressed. High winds and blowing snow prevented the skiers from pressing on. The Transpolar Drift Stream, a major Arctic Ocean current, carried them westward slightly as well. Expedition Leader Dimitri Shparo also experienced a minor injury to his ankle. None of these factors are affecting the determination or ability of the skiers to continue to the Pole and Canada beyond. With almost 400 kilometers behind them, the skiers look forward to calm days and warmer weather. (Report 9B inserted here when released 3/29, Tuesday afternoon) The Digitalker on UO-11 has been marking the progress of the skiers with improved enunciation and up-to-date reports. SARSAT/COSPAS operations via the ELT the skiers are carrying and the hybrid link to the University of Surrey have been functioning as intended. Educators and hams have been testing antenna systems for UO-11 reception and have found the HT with whip antenna desirable for portable reception and the turnstile with reflector or TR antenna desirable for fixed operation. The TR antenna is described in the "Satellite Experimenters Handbook" by Dr. Martin Davidoff, available from AMSAT HQ. Many of the elementary and secondary schools following the trek are contacting each other and comparing trek watching activities. This sharing is being coordinated by AMSAT's Science Education Advisor Rich Ensign, N8IWJ. If you want a school you are helping to become a part of the sharing, contact Rich for a list of schools involved. His address is 421 N. Military, Dearborn, MI 48124. This report was prepared by Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor For Use With The AMSAT Teachers Guide "Exploring The High Arctic From Your Classroom". Skitrek Progress Reports, and daily Position/Condition Reports may be accessed via packet BBS, AMSAT Nets and the main educator source, the W0RPK AMSAT Bulletin Board which may be reached at (1-515-961-3325). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4. Skitrek Communications Working Well Packet radio is running full tilt from the northern frontier thanks to the help of Advanced Electronic Application's President Mike Lamb, N7ML. AEA has provided its highly-rated PK-232 digital communications units for the SKITREK team to use. The University of Surrey in England reports regular communiques from Sredniy Island on 20 meter packet. The bulletins from there have been relayed by the UO-11 satellite. Operator EX0CR (also known as UA3CR) has been using the PK-232 to communicate with the outside world on packet. Meanwhile, the ICOM HF station donated to the Canadian radio support team by ICOM's marketing manager Evelyn Garrison, KA7LPK, has been logging tens of thousands of QSOs reports from the arctic indicate. Both AEA and ICOM have been in the forefront in supporting SKITREK. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5. Soviet SL-4 Booster Re-Enters With Florish Over Texas Pieces of a Soviet rocket launched earlier in the week broke apart Friday night, March 25, as it re-entered the atmosphere over Texas, producing a spectacular light show. The lights, reported at about 10:30 p.m, were seen across eastern Texas and as far away as Shreveport, La., and southern Arkansas, said Lt. Col. Ivan Pinnell, a spokesman for the U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo. "It appears that the object correlates with a Soviet launch of a couple of days ago of a Progress 35 vehicle mission,said Pinnell, probably an SL-4 rocket body." The object, tracked by the Space Command since launch, hurtled back into Earth's atmosphere east of San Antonio a few hours ahead of schedule, said Pinnell. "It was just lights in the sky. Looked like a meteor shower; at least that's what they're telling me, and that's normal when a larger object re-enters the atmosphere and breaks into smaller pieces. And those pieces put on something similar to a fireworks display," said Pinnell. Scores of people flooded news agencies and National Weather Service offices with telephone calls for information on what they had seen. There were no reports of pieces being recovered and Pinnell said the chance of that was highly remote. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 6. FO-12 Sked For April Announced JARL has announced the FO-12 operating schedule for April. Mode From (UTC) -------------------- JA Mar 30 01:46 D 31 02:54 JA Apr 1 01:06 [NCS may read as many D 4 01:20 lines as appropriate] JA 6 01:33 D 7 00:39 JD* 9 15:47 JD 9 21:59 DI 10 18:57 JD 12 15:06 DI 13 16:14 JA : analog mode JD 16 13:32 JD : digital mode D 17 14:39 D : all systems off JA 20 13:59 DI : systems off, except D 21 13:05 CPU and memory JA 23 13:18 -------------------------- D 24 12:24 JD 26 10:30 DI 27 11:44 JD 28 10:50 DI 29 11:57 JD Apr 30 11:03 The transponders will be off at other times. The schedule may be changed at any time due to unexpected power situations. ** Note: On April 9 from 15:47 through 17:48 UTC, a special telemetry software package will be loaded to permit telemetry transmission every 2 seconds instead of every minute. No mailbox functions will be available during this period but the digipeater will be operational. Reports of received telemetry will be appreciated. Please send them to JARL (JJ1ZUT) via the FO-12 mailbox. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 7. Short Bursts The AMSAT NA Team #1 was scheduled to leave for Kourou, French Guiana on Monday, March 28 to prepare for the launch of Phase 3C now scheduled for May 26. The team will remain at the launch site for about two weeks until a second team, the fueling team, arrives. Later, a third team will arrive to finalize the satellite and monitor the telemetry until launch. The launch date may slip a few days into early June but there is no official confirmation of this. On Saturday, March 26, Southern Africa AMSAT planned to launch its 25th BACAR (Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio. The equipment to be flown included a 2 meter recovery beacon operating on 144.550 MHz at altitudes below 28,000 feet. The power is alternated between 1 and 350 mW every 30 seconds. This beacon is used to DF the package on its descent. A voice store and forward repeater is the main attraction of this flight. It accepts 15 seconds of audio and repeats it using a digitized record of the uplink. The repeater will accept packet and voice. The balloon is expected to reach a maximum altitude of 70,000 feet above sea level. European sources suggest the next Russian OSCARs could be launched in about 14 months, roughly summer of 1989. The devices are said to be similar to the current RS-10/11. ******************************************************************************