[jamsat-news:3839] [ANS] ANS-295 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

[Mark Johns, K0JM via ANS]

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-295

In this edition:

* AMSAT Board Appoints Officers, Hears Reports
* AMSAT Board Discusses Policies and Procedures
* AMSAT Symposium Takes Place in Dallas
* ESTCube-2 Fails to Deploy After Launch
* Scientists Confirm Ancient Solar Storm
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Oct. 19
* EVA Event Upcoming on ISS
* ARISS News
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information
service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes
news related to Amateur Radio in Space including 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.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in
Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at]
amsat.org

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service
Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see:
https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-295 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2023 OCT 22


AMSAT Board Appoints Officers, Hears Reports

The AMSAT Board of Directors met on Thursday, Oct. 19 in Dallas, Texas in
advance of the annual meeting and Symposium.

+ Since Board members whose terms were expiring were all re-elected, the
Board was as previously constituted. Frank Karnauskas was welcomed as the
new Alternate Board member.

+ All officers were re-appointed by acclamation:
    President -- Robert Bankston, KE4AL, Dothan, AL
    Executive Vice President -- Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, Washington, DC
    Vice President - Engineering -- Jerry Buxton, N0JY, Granbury, TX
    Vice President - Operations -- Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Brooksville, FL
    Vice President - Educational Relations -- Alan Johnston, KU2Y,
Philadelphia, PA
    Vice President - Development -- Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, Tucson, AZ
    Treasurer -- Steve Belter, N9IP, West Lafayette, IN
    Secretary -- Jeff Davis, KE9V, Yorktown, IN

+ President Robert Bankston gave his President's Report. His focus was on
improving transparency and accountability between AMSAT leadership and
membership. This would include better reporting of finances, better
standards for publishing our accomplishments, more attention to Member
Services for member satisfaction, and redesign of the AMSAT website.

+ Treasurer Steve Belter was not in attendance, but the Treasurer's Report
was given on his behalf. The financial status of the organization is
healthy.

+ Alan Johnston, Vice President - Educational Relations, reported that the
CubeSat Simulators are getting good use in the amateur community, as well
as in universities and high schools. The Simulator circuit boards have been
selling well, and the fully built loaners are circulating constantly. An
upgraded Simulator board, v.2, is in beta, and testers will be recruited
from among builders of version 1. A new v.2 kit should become available
next year.

+ The engineering report by Jerry Buxton, Vice President - Engineering, and
Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, Assistant Vice President - Engineering. The
engineering team now consists of more than 35 volunteers, each working 4 to
5 hours per week, on various projects for Fox-Plus, GOLF, ASCENT, and other
related efforts. Recruiting of engineering volunteers is ongoing.
   Engineering challenges include supply chain problems and inflationary
pressures. As technology advances quickly, some components become
unavailable in the space between planning and construction. Export
Administration Regulations (EAR) make international cooperation difficult.
   The GOLF (Greater Orbit, Larger Footprint) program was approved in 2017
as an incremental development path for return to High Earth Orbit (HEO).
Applications for the first two satellites in this program, GOLF-TEE and
GOLF-1, have both been accepted by NASA. The satellites are under
construction, and the first will be delivered to NASA in late 2025, but
there is no time frame for launch at this time.
   ASCENT (Advanced Satellite Communication and Exploration of New
Technology) allows a "sandbox" for future satellite systems to be explored
for eventual flight. Some of these projects are being incorporated into
GOLF, including the deployable solar panels and the 3U cubesat structure.
   Fox-Plus, a 1U cubesat, is currently under construction utilizing the
Linear Transponder Module similar to those that have been supplied to
partners such as HuskySat and MESAT-1. The first Fox-Plus satellite will be
completed no earlier than late 2024, with no time frame for launch at this
time.

+ Vice President - Operations, Drew Glasbrenner, gave a rundown on
satellites in orbit. We have a number of old satellites that keep chugging
along, and the Operations team manages these resources as possible.

+ Vice President - Development, Frank Karnauskas, reported on plans to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of AO-07 and the publicity surrounding it.
There was also discussion of the AMSAT News Service bulletins and how they
are distributed.

+ The IT report focused on the availability of @amsat.org email accounts.
Costs of maintaining this service have increased immensely, and there have
been many problems with spam filters crushing mail sent through this
service.

+ Board Member Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reported on AMSAT Field Day and the
awards programs. The AMSAT Store, reached through the amsat.org website,
continues to do a brisk business with the SatPC32 tracking program being
the best seller.

+ Export Control and Economic Sanctions Compliance Training was the last
item on the agenda. President Bankston briefed the Board on current legal
requirements.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
The 2023 AMSAT President's Club coins are here now!
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its launch
on June 16, 1983, this year's coin features
an image of AMSAT-OSCAR 10.
Join the AMSAT President's Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

AMSAT Board Discusses Policies and Procedures

President Robert Bankston reconvened the Board of Directors on Friday
morning, Oct. 20. Bankston opened with a discussion of AMSAT’s policies and
procedures, specifically the financial policies and procedures.

Discussion ensued regarding communicating information regarding Engineering
projects and a public release of schedules. In some cases, legal agreements
preclude release of specific launch information.

Discussion also continued regarding budgeting procedures for Engineering
projects. Bankston compiled a list of further items for new business to
discuss by the end of the meeting. Further new business discussion followed.

Paul Stoetzer raised the issue of a document repository to manage corporate
documents for
improving management and communication. It was broadly agreed that AMSAT
would seek a
solution in concert with the IT team.

Drew Glasbrenner was recognized to discuss a potential updated satellite
tracking software.

A concern was raised that more senior AMSAT leadership should attend
various conferences and events. It was agreed that there would be an
increase in the amount budgeted for attendance at conferences in the 2024
Budget.

There was discussion of allocating funds for services would be contracted
for user services, since AMSAT no longer has any employees.

A discussion also ensued on the AMSAT IP Policy. It was agreed that ideas
for updating it would be developed and discussed in January.

Alternate Director Frank Karnauskas was recognized to discuss the need to
define positions before filling them with volunteers. Some feel that
positions need to be flexible in order to fit the willingness of volunteers.

Jerry Buxton opened discussion of ITU/FCC satellite authorization. He
suggested obtaining external support to handle applications for satellite
authorization. Drew Glasbrenner, as the AMSAT licensee, concurred. It was
broadly agreed that it would be a benefit.

As the 50th anniversary of AO-7 draws near, plans are in the works for
celebrating the anniversary.

Also discussed were potential locations for the 2024 Symposium. It was
broadly agreed that Florida would be the location.

President Bankston mentioned his desire for re-engagement with our sister
AMSATs around the world on satellite programs. The Board broadly agreed
that the President should reach out to
international AMSAT leadership and begin discussions.

The need was discussed for an updating of the Getting Started Guide and the
need for a new editor.

President Bankston adjourned the meeting so that all could move on to
attending the 41st AMSAT Symposium.

[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, Acting Secretary, for the above information]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

AMSAT Symposium Takes Place in Dallas

The 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting was held October
20-21 in Dallas, Texas. Nearly 60 participants were in attendance. The
Symposium sessions will be available for viewing on AMSAT's YouTube channel
at https://www.youtube.com/@AMSATNA/

Friday, October 20
+ Welcome from Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President

+ A Survey of Small Satellite Propulsion Systems by Jonathan Brandenburg,
KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering

+ AMSAT Engineering Update from Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP Engineering;
Jonathan Brandenburg, KF5IDY, AMSAT Assistant VP Engineering; sZach
Metzinger, N0ZGO, AMSAT Board of Directors

+ PACSAT Update and Demonstration by Bill Reed, NX5R, PACSAT Project
Manager, et al

Saturday, October 21
+ Welcome from Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President

+ CubeSatSim Update and Demonstration by Alan Johnston, KU2Y, AMSAT VP
Educational Resources

+ ThinSat Project for High Schools by Nick Pugh, K5QXY, and Bob Twiggs,
KE6QMD

+ AMSAT Youth Initiative by Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP Development

+ Amateur Radio Spectrum Use in the Lunar Environment by Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director

+ Amateur Satellite Secondary Payloads by Drew Glasbrenner, AMSAT Board of
Directors/VP Operations

+ AMSAT-HB Update from Michael Lipp, HB9WDF, President, AMSAT-HB

+ ARISS Update from Dave Taylor, W8AAS, AMSAT U.S. Delegate to ARISS
International

+ 40th Anniversary of Hams in Space & 2024 Anniversary Event by Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS-NA Executive Director

+ Planned Non-AMSAT Amateur Satellites by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT
Executive Vice President

+ Space Qualified Antennas by Kent Britain, WA5VJB

The session was followed by the AMSAT Annual General Meeting & Awards
Ceremony, and in the evening, by the AMSAT Symposium Banquet.

[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

     Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
    and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
           AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                  Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
           https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

ESTCube-2 Fails to Deploy After Launch

A pair of payloads that were among 12 carried to orbit aboard the
Arianespace-managed Vega VV23 flight failed to be deployed and likely
burned up in the atmosphere still attached to the rocket’s upper stage.

The Vega VV23 flight was launched on October 9 at 01:36 UTC from the Guiana
Space Centre in French Guiana. The rocket carried the THEOS-2 and
FORMOSAT-7R/TRITON satellites as its primary payloads and ten smaller
satellites as secondary payloads.

Following a successful launch, Arianespace published a press release
confirming that the two primary payloads and eight of the ten secondary
payloads had been deployed. However, the launch services provider added
that “the separation of the last 2 cubesats is still to be confirmed.”

The launch utilized the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser,
which was designed by SAB Aerospace for Avio and is operated by Arianespace
with the support of SAB Launch Services.

In an email sent by Arianespace to the affected teams that European
Spaceflight has seen, the launch services provider explained that the
ESTCube-2 and ANSER-Leader cubesats likely failed to separate from their
respective deployers.

“Following the VEGA VV23 launch last Sunday, ARIANESPACE has now the strong
suspicion that your satellites ESTCube-2 and ANSER-Leader were
unfortunately not separated from their respective deployers,” said the
email.

ESTcube-2, a 3U cubesat, was built by the Estonian Student Satellite
Foundation and was supposed to carry a 9600bps digipeater similar to the
former FalconSat-3, as well as several other amateur-related experiments.

[ANS thanks European Spaceflight for the above information]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientists Confirm Ancient Solar Storm

The largest known solar storm struck Earth more than 14,000 years ago,
according to a new study of the growth rings in ancient trees. A similar
storm striking Earth at present would likely knock out radio communications
and satellites while causing widespread blackouts.

Carbon-14 (C14), the rarest carbon isotope on the planet, is primarily
formed by cosmic rays emitted by the Sun through solar flares and coronal
mass ejections interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. The radioactive
carbon isotope can eventually be absorbed by living organisms — like trees,
plants and animals — throughout their lifetimes. The amount of C14 in
certain organisms can reflect how abundant the isotope was in the
atmosphere and, by extension, the amount of solar activity present at a
given time.

A team of scientists discovered evidence of the storm by measuring the
levels of C14 in rings of ancient pine trees that lived in the French Alps
more than 14,000 years ago.

The researchers hypothesized that the abrupt spike was likely from a
massive solar storm that was probably two times larger than all other major
storms on record.

To verify their hypothesis, the researchers turned to ice cores, or
cylinders of ice drilled from ice sheets and glaciers. They discovered that
the C14 spike in the trees corresponded with an unusual concentration of
beryllium-10 from between 14,301 and 14,292 years ago found in a Greenland
ice core.

Tim Heaton, a professor of applied statistics at the University of Leeds
and a co-author of the new study in the journal, Philosophical Transactions
of the Royal Society A, noted that, "Extreme solar storms could have huge
impacts on Earth. They would also create severe radiation risks to
astronauts."

[ANS thanks Axios Space for the above information]

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

    Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
            Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff
                    from our Zazzle store!
        25% of the purchase price of each product goes
            towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
              https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for Oct. 19

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps
in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical
model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly
updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. Elements in
the TLE bulletin files are updated daily. TLE bulletin files are updated to
add or remove satellites as necessary Thursday evenings around 2300 UTC, or
more frequently if new high interest satellites are launched. More
information may be found at
https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/

The following satellites have been removed from this week's AMSAT-NA TLE
distribution:

Robusta 1B NORAD Cat ID 42792 Decayed from orbit on or about 16 October 2023
LO-87 LUSEX NORAD Cat ID 41557 Decayed from orbit on or about 19 October
2023

[ANS thanks AMSAT Orbital Elements page for the above information]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

EVA Event Upcoming on ISS

Two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station will conduct a
spacewalk Monday, Oct. 30, to complete maintenance activities at the
orbital complex.

Live coverage of the spacewalk begins at 6:30 a.m. EDT on NASA Television,
the NASA app<https://www.nasa.gov/apps/>, and the agency’s website<
https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv/>. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin about
8:05 a.m., and last about six-and-a-half hours.

NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, and Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM, will
exit the station’s Quest airlock to remove an electronics box called the
Radio Frequency Group from a communications antenna on station. They also
will replace one of 12 trundle bearing assemblies on a solar alpha rotary
joint. The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to
track the Sun as the station orbits the Earth. When looking at the space
station, the antenna is on the starboard (right side) truss, and the rotary
joint is on the port, or left side.

U.S. spacewalk 89 will be the first for both Moghbeli and O’Hara. Moghbeli
will serve as extravehicular activity crew member 1 and will wear a suit
with red stripes. O’Hara will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and
will wear an unmarked suit.

Station managers continue planning for another spacewalk with O’Hara, as
well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, to collect
samples for analysis to see whether microorganisms may exist on the
exterior of the orbital complex. That spacewalk, which now is U.S.
spacewalk 90, has been postponed to no earlier than December.

[As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS
radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.]

[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]

--------------------------------------------------------------------

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between
amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with
astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The
downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

RECENTLY COMPLETED
Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream, NY, telebridge via IK1SLD
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS
The crewmember was Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ
The ARISS mentor was AB1OC
Contact was successful: Tue 2023-10-17 12:25:03 UTC 38 deg
Congratulations to the Valley Stream South High School students, Andreas,
and mentor AB1OC!
Watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/g74NbsTEvVw?feature=share

St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom,
direct via GB4SPT
The ISS callsign was NA1SS
The crewmember was Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM
The ARISS mentor was MØXTD
Contact was successful: Wed 2023-10-18 09:57:49 UTC 89 deg
Congratulations to the St Peter in Thanet CE Junior School students, Loral,
and mentor MØXTD!

UPCOMING:
A. L. Burruss Elementary School, Marietta, GA, direct via K4RGK
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL
The ARISS mentor is K4RGK
Contact is go for: Tue 2023-10-24 16:14:50 UTC 74 deg
Watch for Livestream at
www.youtube.com/channel/UCuI4sKDBpERtEFs9bFrRMFA/live

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} &
437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is
pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband
repeater.  So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is Temporarily stowed (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios
are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate.  It is recommended that you do your own
orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed
time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors
for the above information]

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Satellite Operations

Ray, KN2K, will be in FM17 the morning of Wednesday, 25th October and will
be QRV for a number of morning passes. Check hams.at for details.

Please submit any additions or corrections to k5zm (at) comcast (dot) net.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above
information]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through
amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests,
conventions, maker faires, and other events.

+ 41st AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
October 20-21, 2023
Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel
4440 W John Carpenter Fwy, Irving, TX 75063

AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be
appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at
k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”

Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+
presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ ARRL has released TQSL v.2.7.1 for Windows, Mac and Linux as of Oct. 17,
2023. Users of Logbook of the World should update to the latest version at
their earliest opportunity. (ANS thanks ARRL/LoTW for the above information)

+ The presentations from the 50th Anniversary AMSAT-DL Satellite Meeting on
September 16, 2023 in Bochum are available on the AMSAT-DL YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@amsatdl/videos. Though many are in German, some
presentations are in English. (ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above
information)

+ The ISS experienced another coolant leak, this time on a radiator circuit
that is part of the Russian Nauka module—the crew and station are safe, and
there is a spacewalk planned later this month to investigate the root
cause. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information)

+ Researchers at Purdue University’s College of Science found metals high
in Earth’s stratosphere. Those metals are altering the chemistry in our
planet’s atmosphere in ways we don’t fully understand, and may be causing
damage to the earth's protective ozone layer. The team concluded that the
aerosols of over 20 chemical elements, including lithium, aluminum, copper,
and lead, come from vapour boiling off of the surfaces of spent boosters
and other space debris as it re-enters the atmosphere and burns up. (ANS
thanks Universe Today for the above information)

+ SpaceX filed for a 29,988 satellite W-band network—likely around 71-86
GHz which offers higher data rates but suffers more atmospheric
attenuation—this filing is presumably part of SpaceX’s original 42,000
satellite proposed constellation and would quadruple the number of active
satellites that humanity has in orbit. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for
the above information)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
* 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 student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary
years in this status.
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week's ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM
k0jm [at] amsat.org

-------------- next part --------------
HTMLの添付ファイルを保管しました...
URL: <http://www.jamsat.or.jp/pipermail/jamsat-news/attachments/20231022/123a1585/attachment-0001.html>

-------------- next part --------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

ANS mailing list -- ans ＠ amsat.org
View archives of this mailing list at https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/list/ans@amsat.org
To unsubscribe send an email to ans-leave ＠ amsat.org
Manage all of your AMSAT-NA mailing list preferences at https://mailman.amsat.org