[jamsat-news:3097] ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-218

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the activities of a
worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in
designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital
Amateur Radio satellites.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org

In this edition:
* AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012
* Russian Satellite RS-40 Yubileiny-2 Launched
* MSU Attracts NASA Attention With Computer System for Spacecraft
* Olympic Station 2o12W Active on the Amateur Radio Satellites
* Kickstarter Fund Raiser for Ham Radio at South Florida Museum
* Mars Rover Landing News From JPL
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 30 July 2012


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-218.01
ANS-218 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 218.01
 From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
August 5, 2012
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-218.01


AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012

The AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2012 will be held at the Holiday Inn, Egerton
Road, Guildford GU2 7XZ starting at 1000 am on Saturday 15 September,
and finishing at approximately 17.00 pm on Sunday 16 September 2012.

The colloquium attracts an international audience from across Europe
as well as North America and the Middle East. Attendees range from
the builders of the CubeSats and Nanosats, those who communicate
through them and beginners who wish to find out more about this fas-
cinating branch of the hobby.

This event provides a rare opportunity to chat with satellite design-
ers and builders, discussions frequently continue until the early
hours of the morning.

There will be a beginner's session starting approximately 4pm on
Friday 14 September. A Friday Night dinner will be held at the hotel.
If you wish to attend, please contact Jim Heck by email at
g3wgm@amsat.org at least one week before the event.

A Gala dinner is held on the Saturday evening along with the fund
raising auction.

Call for Speakers and Papers
----------------------------
AMSAT-UK invites speakers, to cover topics about micro-satellites,
CubeSats, Nanosats, space and associated activities, for this event.
They are also invited to submit papers for the "Proceedings" document
which will be published at the same time but printed papers are not
mandatory. We normally prefer authors to present talks themselves
rather than having someone else give them in the authors' absence.
We also welcome "unpresented" papers for the Proceedings document.

Submissions should be sent ONLY to David Johnson G4DPZ, via these
routes: e-mail: david dot johnson at blackpepper dot co dot uk.
Postal address at http://www.qrz.com/db/G4DPZ

Change in Booking Procedures
----------------------------
There is a booking change this year. Do not book your room with the
hotel. Instead you need to book your room with AMSAT-UK at the on-
line shop: http://shop.amsat.org.uk - the hotel will only hold rooms
reserved for AMSAT-UK until August 24. If you book after this date,
you risk there not being a room available.

Also, Saturday's Gala Dinner must be booked in advance in the on-line
shop.

Additional accommodation package information can be found on the 2012
Colloquium web pages: http://www.uk.amsat.org/colloquium/twelve

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


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Russian Satellite RS-40 Yubileiny-2 Launched

A Russian research satellite, with experiments built by students and
research staff of the Siberian State Aerospace University and launch-
ed on July 28. Signals from RS-40 on 435.365 MHz were first reported
by Maik Hermenau on the AMSAT-DL mailing list.

Jan, PE0SAT published information about RS-40 on his web page. While
the new satellite uses amateur 70cm downlinks it does not appear to
include an amateur radio mission. Details of the downlink signalling
protocol have not been made available.

Yubileiny-2 mission aboard this 65 kilograms satellite includes test-
ing advanced technological solutions to be incorporated into future
missions:

+ Contoured heat pipes
+ New technological enhancements for onboard radio equipment.
+ Small-sized attitude control elements including magnetic torquers.
+ Testing optical properties of solar concentrators using an experi-
  mental solar panel module.
+ Compact navigation receiver using the GLONASS and GPS technology.

Siberian State Aerospace University student built components and
experiments include:

+ Earth sensing technology with a camera observing the earth surface.
+ Small WeB-camera to continuously observe the satellite's deployment
  mechanisms and monitor the performance of satellite components,
  structures and instruments made of advanced composite materials.

Jan, PE0SAT reports that the signals he received from RS-40 switch
between two downlink frequencies:

+ Signals were first copied on 435.265 MHz FM,
+ Then switched to 435.365 MHz FM.
+ After about six minutes the received waterfall patern changed and
  there where only signals on 435.365 MHz FM

Jan posted details of the received signals at:
http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/2012/i-received-data-from-rs-40/
He includes 2-line orbital elements as well as audio samples and
screenshots of the received signals on this page.

First signal reports from RS-40 are documented at:
http://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/2012/first-signals-from-rs-40/

[ANS thanks Jan, PE0SAT for the above information]


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MSU Attracts NASA Attention With Computer System for Space

Evelyn Boswell for MSU News Service
Bozeman MT (SPX) Jul 30, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/MSU-Experiment (www.spacemart.com)

Two Montana State University graduate students who are building a
radiation-proof computer system for use in space have received an
extra boost from NASA. Justin Hogan and Raymond Weber recently
learned that their project with faculty member Brock LaMeres was
one of 14 selected by NASA for development and demonstration on
commercial launch vehicles in 2013 or 2014.

The Montana State University cubesat, William A. Hiscock Radiation
Belt Explorer, has been orbiting the Earth since Oct. 28, 2011.

MSU's computer system is designed to lay on top of a reprogrammable
hardware fabric, LaMeres said. If the system works the way it's
designed, it will detect radiation and high-energy particles. If
radiation strikes - or looks like it will strike - an active circuit,
the computer system can shut down the active circuit and use one of
the abundant spare circuits. As a result, astronauts may be able to
get by with less shielding than they currently carry into space to
protect their computers. They should also be able to work without
stopping to fix computer malfunctions.

NASA launched a flight test of their computer aboard a rocket on
June 21 from Wallops Island. The rocket soared 73 miles above the
Atlantic Ocean, exposing the experiments to zero-gravity and the
radiation found in 11 miles of space. Within 15 minutes of launch,
the rocket splashed down about two miles from Wallops Island. A
commercial fishing boat retrieved the experiments and returned them
to the students for analysis.

Hogan and Weber are wrapping up their work on their radiation-toler-
ant, reconfigurable computer system so it will it into a cube approx-
imately four inches on each side. The cube will head to the Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility at Fort Sumner, N.M. to be launched in
early September as part of the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP)
program through NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium. The high-
altitude balloon is expected to carry the computer system 22 miles
above Earth and stay aloft for 15 to 20 hours.

Read the full article at the link above.

[ANS thanks Montana State University and SpaceMart.com for the
 above information]


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Olympic Station 2o12W Active on the Amateur Radio Satellites

Olympic Flagship Special Event Station 2 Oscar 12 Whiskey (2o12W)
has been active on the amateur radio satellites working stations
in the USA and across Europe.

The 2o12W satellite station has been operated by Ken Eaton, GW1FKY
a member of the Barry Amateur Radio Club and AMSAT-UK.

The satellite equipment comprises a Kenwood TS2000 feeding a 5 ele-
ment dual-band "Elk" antenna mounted on a rotator on the portable
cabin about 2.5 meters (8 feet) above the ground.

Ken says the station is located on the promenade and the many elec-
trical amusements in the Fairground generate considerable interfer-
ence on the VHF/UHF bands which has made reception difficult.

The station 2o12W is planned to be on-the-air until September.

For photos and more information see:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/9322
http://www.2o12w.com/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


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Kickstarter Fund Raiser for Ham Radio at South Florida Museum

The West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group has built and operates a
permanent Amateur Radio exhibit at the South Florida Science Mu
seum in West Palm Beach Florida.

Both the Museum and the amateur radio group are non-profit entities.
The museum gave the space for the exhibit but everything from the
carpet on the floor, the paint on the walls, the overhead lighting,
the electrical wiring and up has been donated and supplied by club
members and limited supporters.

Presently the amateur radio facilities are on the very modest side.
They operate on loaned radios and wire antennas. The club says, "We
get hundreds of youngsters visiting our exhibit every week, only a
handful get to experience that 'Lasting Moment of First Excitement'
due to our limited facilities."

The club has started an on-line pledge drive using Kickstarter to
mmet their goal of more modern radio and put up a tower next to the
building with an antenna on it that will be high enough to get over
the substation next door.

They also need to add exhibits that explain how basic radio, elec-
tronics and antennas work for building the level of excitement.

Visit the West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group's "Lasting Moment of
First Excitement" Kickstarter Project page at:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/997251641/lasting-moments-of-first-excit
ement

The club web pages are at: http://www.wpbarc.com - and -
Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WestPalmBeachAmateurRadioGroupInc

[ANS thanks Tom Loughney, AJ4XM for the above information]


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Mars Rover Landing News From JPL

If you have an iPad or an iPhone with a camera, here's a chance to create
personalized photos with a high-resolution 3D model of the Curiosity rover.

Download Spacecraft 3D from the Apple Apps Store. It's free! (Android version:
to be out in a few weeks).

Print a couple of copies of the paper "Targets" before landing night.

Place the Target where you want the rover to appear.

Compose the desired photo, then tap the "Gear" icon and press the Photo button
to take snapshots of the rovers with old and new friends on landing night.

Send your pictures to:  jplpublic@jpl.nasa.gov
We'll put together a collection of photos after the landing.

Other free Curiosity software to play with:

Xbox - Mars Rover Landing

Try your own skills on landing Curiosity through this Xbox game

Downloadable through the Xbox menu system or at:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Mars-Rover-Landing/66acd000-77fe-1000-
9115-d80258480836

Eyes on the Solar System: Curiosity Edition

Experience Curiosity as it lands at Gale Crater

http://eyes.jpl.nasa.gov(viewable in any web browser)


Be A Martian Mobile Phone Apps – Mars on the go!

Participate as a Citizen Scientist on the Mars Science Lab mission

iPhone: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mobile/beam/iphone/

Android:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mobile/beam/android/

Windows: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mobile/beam/windowsphone/


Explore Mars on the Web!

This 3D interactive experience lets you explore Mars with Curiosity

Curiosity’s Journey: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/curiosity

Free Drive: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/freedrive/

Gale Crater: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/galecrater/

Learn the Rover: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/learnaboutrover/


[ANS thanks Jan, WB6VRN, for the above information]


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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Congratulations to Ted Doty, AA5CK on earning his Satellite Worked
  All States Award #332. Ted wrote, "I want to express my thanks and
  appreciation to all of our great Satellite Ops, working from home
  and portable, to make this award and others a possibility.

+ Remembering this week, that August 2, 1971 was the date when the
  Apollo 15 lunar module Falcon left the Moon in first televised lunar
  liftoff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module#Media in-
  cludes videos.

+ An English language NHK TV news story covers the amateur radio Cube-
  Sat FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) which launched to the International Space Sta-
  tion (ISS) on July 21: http://tinyurl.com/FitsatOnNHK (Southgate)

+ Listen for Nikolai, VE3NKL operating portable from Newfoundland on
  a vacation trip. He will be on SO-50 and AO-27 time permitting. He
  is active in grid squares GN09 and GN19. He posts details on his
  callsign lookup web page at QRZ.com. (via K4FEG)

+ Listen for Norm, N3YKF operating satellites with a portable station
  he brought with him during his vacation in Peru.

[ANS thanks everyone for the above information]



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ARISS Status -  30 July 2012


1. Upcoming School Contact

Space Jam 6, which will be held at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum in
Rantoul, Illinois, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, August 5 at 10:06 UTC.  The Space
Jamboree Workshop is the Midwest’s largest technology oriented gathering of Boy
Scouts and Girl Scouts. The theme this year is “The History of Aviation.”
Subjects that will be taught and merit badges that may be earned include the
following: Space Exploration, Radio, Aviation, 
Electronics, Robotics, Soil/Water
Conservation, Environmental Science, Energy, Metalwork, Computers, Geology,
Nuclear Science, Engineering and Inventing.  The Jamboree is working with the
University of Illinois, Purdue, and DePauw Universities (high altitude balloon
launches, FIRST Robotics, Nuclear Engineering) to help Scouts plan for the
future.


2. Girls from WE@RIT Camp Speak with Sunita Williams in Space

Fifth and sixth grade girls attending the “Everyday Engineering” camp at Kate
Gleason College, sponsored by the Women in Engineering @ Rochester Institute of
Technology (WE@RIT) in New York took part in an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact on 
Monday, July 23. The girls talked
with on-orbit astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB who currently holds the record
for longest space flight by a woman.  The contact highlighted camp activities
that focus on engineering-based themes to teach the engineering design process
through hands-on build and design activities. This year’s camp theme is “World
in Motion.”  Also attending the contact were students from the grade 7-9 camp
(held two weeks ago), the students attending this week’s RoboCamp, and the Lil'
Kids on Campus Space Week kids. To view video of the contact, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdlpcw_VD4M


3. Virginia Air and Space Center Contact Successful

On Thursday, July 26, Sunita Williams, KD5PLB held an Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) contact with youth volunteers from the
Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. The volunteers give tours,
provide demonstrations to the public and support the center in its efforts to
educate the public. The center has its own amateur radio exhibit and during
these summer months, it also welcomes NASA exhibits Destination Station, the
Orion Test Vehicle and the Mars Science Laboratory.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]


/EX


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.

Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org


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