[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[jamsat-news:1014] * SpaceNews 25-Jan-99 *
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0125
* SpaceNews 25-Jan-99 *
BID: $SPC0125
=========
SpaceNews
=========
MONDAY JANUARY 25, 1999
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It
is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use.
* MICROSAT BIRTHDAY *
=====================
Amateur Radio's first Microsat satellites celebrated their 9th birthday
on 1999-Jan-22. AMSAT-OSCAR-16, DOVE-OSCAR-17, WEBERSAT-OSCAR-18, and
LUSAT-OSCAR-19 were all launched together on 1990-Jan-22 from Kourou,
French Guiana. AMSAT-OSCAR-16 is the only satellite of the group that
continues to perform well. Functioning as a digital store-and-forward
communications satellite, AO-16 has been operating for over 1590 days
since its last on-board computer re-load. The remaining satellites
are not in full operation. DOVE-OSCAR-17 experienced a hardware
malfunction after launch that has made it nearly impossible for
controllers to upload operating software to the satellite.
WEBERSAT-OSCAR-18's primary function was to take digital color
images of the earth, but it also contains all the electronics necessary
to function as a store-and-forward digital communications transponder.
LUSAT-OSCAR-19 also contains a digital transponder, however it has
not been active since the satellite experienced an OBC software
crash last year.
* SUNSAT LAUNCH DELAYS *
========================
Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR/W6HDO reports that the launch of SUNSAT has been
postponed for eight times. Most of the postponments were due to upper
air wind conditions that violated launch criteria despite the surperb
surface conditions at the launch site. Four South Africans have left
the US as a result of the launch delays, and only two remain for just
one more launch attempt. If this attempt is not successful, then SUNSAT
will have to be turned on from South Africa resulting in a much later
availability than the first few orbits.
The latest information is that the next attempt is postponed until Monday
night/Tuesday morning the 25th. Of course this may change but apparently
the Delta rocket will have to be defuelled at this time.
* TMSAT NEWS *
==============
Chris Jackson, G7UPN, reports that the TMSAT OBC186 flight software crashed
on the afternoon of 1999-Jan-21. To in an effort to find the cause of the
crash, controllers performed a memory dump of the OBC186 computer program
memory late last week. OBC186 flight software was expected to be loaded
after the memory dump was complete.
* FUJI-OSCAR-29 NEWS *
======================
FUJI-OSCAR-29 users have reported that the satellite has recently been
switched between analog and digital transponder mode. No official word
has been received from spacecraft controllers.
* AMSAT-OSCAR-10 NEWS *
=======================
The following AO-10 Keplerian elements are based on a "best fit" of
over 300 range measurements taken by W4SM and G3RUH:
Satellite: AO-10
Catalog number: 14129
Epoch time: 99020.76950000
Element set: 005
Inclination: 26.927 deg
RA of node: 46.982 deg
Eccentricity: 0.60084
Arg of perigee: 284.293 deg
Mean anomaly: 119.137 deg
Mean motion: 2.05867845 rev/day
Decay rate: 0.0 rev/day^2
Epoch rev: 11735
Checksum: 256
AO-10
1 14129U 00 0 0 99020.76950000 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 0052
2 14129 026.9270 046.9820 6008400 284.2930 119.1370 02.05867845117354
* LIFE EXTENSION FOR MIR *
==========================
Several news reports have indicated that the Russian space station Mir
may get a three year life extension if private investors can be found
to pay the expenses necessary to keep the spacecraft in operation.
Details are expected to be worked out in the next three months. It
costs an estimated $250 million a year to keep the Mir space station
in operation.
* THANKS! *
===========
Thanks to all who recently sent messages of appreciation for SpaceNews,
especially:
N1ORC G3AAJ KA3HDO ZR5JRS F6HCC GM7RQK
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor
(John, KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below:
WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net
SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, KITSAT-OSCAR-25
<<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>
<<=- Serving the planet (and beyond) since 1987 -=>>
/EX
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- John A. Magliacane, KD2BD -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Internet : kd2bd@amsat.org | Voice : +1.732.224.2948
Satellite : AO-16, LO-19, KO-25 | Morse : -.- -.. ..--- -... -..
Packet : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA | WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
Video : 426.250 MHz/439.250 MHz | FAX : +1.732.224.2060
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Save Jobs. Employ Linux. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
----
Via the ans mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe ans" to Majordomo@amsat.org