<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"></span></font><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT NEWS SERVICE</span></font><div class="entry-content"><p>
<font size="4" style="font-family:georgia,serif">ANS-105</font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In this edition:</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">* NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara, Crewmates Return from ISS<br>
* 2024 AMSAT/TAPR Banquet To Be Held Friday, May 17<br>
* New NASA Strategy Envisions Sustainable Future for Space Ops<br>
* Trash From The ISS May Have Hit A House In Florida<br>
* VUCC and DXCC Satellite Standings for April 2024<br>
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 12<br>
* Ending an Era, Final Delta Rocket Launched This Week<br>
* ARISS News<br>
* Upcoming Satellite Operations<br>
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events<br>
* Satellite Shorts From All Over</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The news feed on <a href="http://www.amsat.org">http://www.amsat.org</a> publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a></strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: <a href="https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/">https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">ANS-105 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">DATE 2024 April 14</strong></font></p>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara, Crewmates Return from ISS</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM, returned to Earth after a
six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station on
April 6, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus
spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The trio departed the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft
at 03:54 UTC, and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 07:17
(12:17 p.m. Kazakhstan time), southeast of the remote town of
Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-wp-image-57702 gmail-size-full" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/loralohara-return.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="407"><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><em>NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara returned to Earth on April 6, 2024,
after a six-month research mission aboard the International Space
Station.<br>
(NASA image)</em></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">O’Hara launched Sept. 15, 2023, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg
Kononenko, RN3DX, and Nikolai Chub, who both will remain aboard the
space station to complete a one-year mission. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya
launched aboard Soyuz MS-25 on March 23 along with NASA astronaut Tracy
C. Dyson, who will remain aboard the orbiting laboratory until this
fall.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">O’Hara spent a total of 204 days in space as part of her first
spaceflight. She completed approximately 3,264 orbits of the Earth and a
journey of more than 86.5 million miles. O’Hara worked on scientific
activities aboard the space station, including investigating heart
health, cancer treatments, and space manufacturing techniques during her
stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Following post-landing medical checks, the crew returned to the
recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. O’Hara then boarded a
NASA plane bound for her return to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in
Houston.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-wp-image-57703 gmail-size-full" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The_official_Expedition_71_crew_portrait.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="512"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">(Oct. 4, 2023) — The official
Expedition 71 crew portrait with (bottom row from left) Roscosmos
cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew
Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. In the back row (from left) are, NASA
astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg
Kononenko. (NASA photo)</em></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">With the undocking of the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft with O’Hara,
Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya, Expedition 71 officially began aboard the
station. NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ, Matthew Dominick,
KCØTOR, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeannette Epps, KF5QNU, as well as Roscosmos
cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, RZ3DSE, and Oleg
Kononenko, RN3DX, make up Expedition 71 and will remain on the orbiting
laboratory until this fall.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus</strong></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-alignnone gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-57364" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-Coin-Lite-300x148.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="148"></strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Keep Amateur Radio in Space!</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/"><strong>https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/</strong></a></span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">2024 AMSAT/TAPR Banquet To Be Held Friday, May 17</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The 15th annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held at the Kohler
Presidential Banquet Center on Friday, May 17th at 18:30 EDT. This
dinner is always a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio)
and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corp.) activities during the Dayton
Hamvention. This year’s banquet speaker will be Bill Reed, NX5R, AMSAT
PACSAT Project Manager, who will highlight the forthcoming PACSAT
digital communications payload.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The Kohler Presidential Banquet Center is located at 4548
Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio – about 20 minutes away from the
Greene County Fairgrounds.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Tickets ($60 each) may be purchased from the AMSAT store. The banquet
ticket purchase deadline is Friday, May 10th. Banquet tickets must be
purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. There will
be no tickets to pick up at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased on-line
will be maintained on a list with check-in at the door at the banquet
center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the
Kohler caterers based on the number of tickets sold by the deadline.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">Menu</strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">Set out as guests arrive</em></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Crudite Platter<br>
with dip on the side</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Dinner Buffet</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Roast Prime Rib of Beef Au jus<br>
Carved on site. Served with horseradish and au jus on the side.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Almond Chicken</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Deep Fried Tempura Shrimp<br>
with Tomato Lemon Aioli</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Risotto Cake</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Fresh Asparagus</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Smashed Cauliflower</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">Served to the table</em></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Strawberry Fields</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Assorted Dinner Rolls<br>
Served with butter</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">Separate table</em></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Assorted Layer Cake</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Cheesecake</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><em style="font-family:georgia,serif">Beverages</em></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Cash Bar</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Regular and Decaf Coffee, Hot & Iced Tea, Water</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New NASA Strategy Envisions Sustainable Future for Space Operations</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">To address a rapidly changing space operating environment and ensure
its preservation for generations to come, NASA released the first part
of its integrated Space Sustainability Strategy, on April 9, advancing
the agency’s role as a global leader on this crucial issue.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“The release of this strategy marks true progress for NASA on space
sustainability,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Space is
busy – and only getting busier. If we want to make sure that critical
parts of space are preserved so that our children and grandchildren can
continue to use them for the benefit of humanity, the time to act is
now. NASA is making sure that we’re aligning our resources to support
sustainable activity for us and for all.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">For decades, NASA has served as a proactive leader for responsible
and sustainable space operations. Entities across the agency develop
best practices, analytic tools, and technologies widely adopted by
operators around the world. The new strategy seeks to integrate those
efforts through a whole-of-agency approach – allowing NASA to focus its
resources on the most pressing issues. To facilitate that integration,
NASA will appoint a new director of space sustainability to coordinate
activities across the agency.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Key aspects of our approach include providing global leadership in
space sustainability, supporting equitable access to space, and ensuring
NASA’s missions and operations enhance space sustainability.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Space environments currently are seeing the rapid emergence of
commercial capabilities, many of them championed by NASA. These
capabilities include increased low Earth orbit satellite activity and
plans for the use of satellite constellations, autonomous spacecraft,
and commercial space destinations. However, this increased activity also
has generated challenges, such as an operating environment more crowded
with spacecraft and increased debris. Understanding the risks and
benefits associated with this growth is crucial for space
sustainability.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Developed under the leadership of a crossagency advisory board, the
space sustainability strategy focuses on advancements NASA can make
toward measuring and assessing space sustainability in Earth orbit,
identifying cost-effective ways to meet sustainability targets,
incentivizing the adoption of sustainable practices through technology
and policy development, and increasing efforts to share and receive
information with the rest of the global space community.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA’s approach to space sustainability recognizes four operational
domains: Earth, Earth orbit, the orbital area near and around the Moon
known as cislunar space, and deep space, including other celestial
bodies. The first volume of the strategy focuses on sustainability in
Earth orbit. NASA plans to produce additional volumes focusing on the
other domains.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Learn more about the Space Sustainability Strategy at: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/spacesustainability">https://www.nasa.gov/spacesustainability</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks NASA for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Need new satellite antennas?</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.</strong></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-3846 gmail-aligncenter" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/M2_LeoPack_Hi-300x298.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="298"></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/"><strong>https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/</strong></a></span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Trash From The ISS May Have Hit A House In Florida</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A few weeks ago, something from the heavens came crashing through the
roof of Alejandro Otero’s Florida home, and NASA is on the case.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Otero wasn’t home at the time. A Nest home security camera captured
the sound of the crash at 2:34 pm local time (19:34 UTC) on March 8.
That’s an important piece of information because it is a close match for
the time—2:29 pm EST (19:29 UTC)—that US Space Command recorded the
reentry of a piece of space debris from the space station. At that time,
the object was on a path over the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward
southwest Florida.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-wp-image-57701 gmail-size-full" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/debris1-crop.jpg" alt="" width="631" height="422"><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><em>In all likelihood, this nearly 2-pound object came from the International Space Station.<br>
Otero said it tore through the roof and both floors of his two-story house in Naples, Florida.<br>
(Photo by Alejandro Otero on X)<br>
</em></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This space junk consisted of depleted batteries from the ISS,
attached to a cargo pallet that was originally supposed to come back to
Earth in a controlled manner. But a series of delays meant this cargo
pallet missed its ride back to Earth, so NASA jettisoned the batteries
from the space station in 2021 to head for an unguided reentry.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA has recovered the debris from the homeowner, according to Josh
Finch, an agency spokesperson. Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
will analyze the object “as soon as possible to determine its origin,”
Finch told Ars. “More information will be available once the analysis is
complete.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The entire pallet, including the nine disused batteries from the
space station’s power system, had a mass of more than 2.6 metric tons
(5,800 pounds), according to NASA. Size-wise, it was about twice as tall
as a standard kitchen refrigerator. It’s important to note that objects
of this mass, or larger, regularly fall to Earth on guided
trajectories, but they’re usually failed satellites or spent rocket
stages left in orbit after completing their missions.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In a post on X, Otero said he is waiting for communication from “the
responsible agencies” to resolve the cost of damages to his home. If the
object is owned by NASA, Otero or his insurance company could make a
claim against the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act,
according to Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air
and Space Law at the University of Mississippi.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“It gets more interesting if this material is discovered to be not
originally from the United States,” she told Ars. “If it is a human-made
space object which was launched into space by another country, which
caused damage on Earth, that country would be absolutely liable to the
homeowner for the damage caused.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This could be an issue in this case. The batteries were owned by
NASA, but they were attached to a pallet structure launched by Japan’s
space agency.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NASA typically doesn’t want large chunks of space debris falling to
Earth with an uncontrolled reentry. You can trace the reason this object
came down unguided back to a Russian launch failure more than five
years ago. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian commander Alexey
Ovchinin aborted their launch on a Soyuz spacecraft when their rocket
failed shortly after liftoff.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">One of Hague’s jobs at the International Space Station would have
been to go outside on spacewalks to help install a new set of
lithium-ion batteries recently delivered by a Japanese HTV cargo ship.
But Hague didn’t reach the station in 2018, so NASA put off the
spacewalks until a new team of astronauts arrived at the complex.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This interruption to the space station’s carefully choreographed
schedule threw off the entire multiyear plan for upgrading the batteries
on the outpost’s electrical system. Instead of putting the old
batteries back into the HTV for a guided destructive reentry over the
open ocean, NASA held onto the cargo pallet at the station when the HTV
supply ship needed to depart.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Each of the subsequent HTV missions delivered more fresh batteries to
the space station and then departed the complex with the cargo pallet
and decommissioned batteries from the previous HTV mission. That was the
case until there were no more HTVs to fly. Japan’s last HTV spacecraft
departed the ISS in 2020 with the cargo pallet and batteries from the
prior flight, stranding the last battery pallet at the station.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The space station’s other cargo vehicles—SpaceX’s Dragon, Northrop
Grumman’s Cygnus, and the Russian Progress—can’t accommodate the HTV
cargo pallet.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">So NASA decided to jettison the battery pallet using the space
station’s robotic arm in March 2021 in order to free up real estate on
the lab. Without any propulsion of their own, the batteries were adrift
in orbit for three years until aerodynamic drag finally pulled the
pallet back into the atmosphere on March 8, almost exactly three years
later.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">It is notoriously difficult to predict where a piece of space junk
will reenter the atmosphere. US Space Command precisely tracks tens of
thousands of objects in Earth orbit, but the exact density of the upper
atmosphere is still largely an unknown variable. Even a half-day before
the reentry, US Space Command’s estimate for when the battery pallet
would fall to Earth had a window of uncertainty spanning six hours,
enough time for the object to circle the planet four times.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">And if you don’t know when something will reenter the atmosphere, you can’t predict where it will come down.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">If NASA confirms the projectile that fell through Otero’s house last
month came from the ISS, it would join a small handful of incidents when
an object falling out of orbit damaged someone’s property.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Earth is a big place. It’s fairly common for someone to find a piece
of fallen space junk in a field or washed up on a beach. But it is rare
for a reentry to hit a structure or injure a person.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Falling space debris has never killed anyone. According to ESA, the
annual risk of an individual human being injured by space debris is less
than 1 in 100 billion.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks ARS Technical for the above information. Read the entire story at <a href="https://bit.ly/3xFJs9W">https://bit.ly/3xFJs9W</a>.]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">VUCC and DXCC Satellite Standings for April 2024</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">————————————————————<br>
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for March 01, 2024 to April 01, 2024.<br>
————————————————————<br></span></font>
</p><div id="gmail-tablepress-116_wrapper" class="gmail-dataTables_wrapper gmail-no-footer"><table id="gmail-tablepress-116" class="gmail-tablepress gmail-tablepress-id-116 gmail-dataTable gmail-no-footer">
<caption style="caption-side:bottom;text-align:left;border:medium;background:none;margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></caption>
<thead>
<tr class="gmail-row-1 gmail-odd"><th class="gmail-column-1 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:468.583px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Callsign</span></font></th><th class="gmail-column-2 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:360.933px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">March 2024</span></font></th><th class="gmail-column-3 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:322.483px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">April 2024</span></font></th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="gmail-row-hover">
<tr class="gmail-row-2 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K8DP</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1629</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1701</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-3 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AA5PK</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1450</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1500</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-4 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N8RO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1444</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1455</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-5 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KF7R</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1128</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1154</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-6 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">XE1AO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1000</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1111</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-7 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KE8RJU</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">950</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1030</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-8 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">WI7P</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">975</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1008</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-9 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K9UO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">950</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">1001</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-10 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KQ4DO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">880</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">906</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-11 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K0JM</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">702</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">801</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-12 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KK4YEL</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">728</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">768</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-13 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N8MR</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">684</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">700</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-14 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A65BR</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">554</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">632</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-15 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">JS1LQI</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">500</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">617</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-16 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N3CAL</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">580</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">610</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-17 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">SV8CS</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">511</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-18 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">JR0GAS</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">360</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">500</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-19 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KO9A</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">434</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">472</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-20 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N7UJJ</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">308</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">462</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-21 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">HC2FG</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">350</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">413</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-22 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">PA7RA</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">408</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">409</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-23 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DL8GAM</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">375</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">400</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-24 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">HB9RYZ</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">248</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">365</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-25 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">W6AER</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">302</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">355</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-26 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K6VHF</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">300</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">325</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-27 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">JH0BBE</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">322</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">324</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-28 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">XE1BMG</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">120</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">300</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-29 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KA9CFD</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">126</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">283</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-30 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">I1FQH</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">173</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">249</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-31 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AG1A</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">200</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-32 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">JO4JKL</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">135</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">188</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-33 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">W0PR</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">176</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-34 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">JK4JMO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">161</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-35 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AA0K</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">155</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-36 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">WD9EWK(DM25)</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">120</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">138</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-37 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N6UTC(DM05)</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">101</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">128</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-38 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">N8HRZ</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">102</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-39 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">WD5GRW</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">101</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-40 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K9DOG</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-41 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">W9FF</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td>
</tr></tbody>
</table></div>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">
————————————————————</span></font>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Congratulations to the new VUCC holders.<br>
SV8CS is first VUCC Satellite holder from KM07</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DXCC Satellite Standing April 2024<br>
————————————————————<br>
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for March 01, 2024 to April 01, 2024.<br>
————————————————————<br></span></font>
</p><div id="gmail-tablepress-117_wrapper" class="gmail-dataTables_wrapper gmail-no-footer"><table id="gmail-tablepress-117" class="gmail-tablepress gmail-tablepress-id-117 gmail-dataTable gmail-no-footer">
<caption style="caption-side:bottom;text-align:left;border:medium;background:none;margin:0px;padding:0px"><br></caption>
<thead>
<tr class="gmail-row-1 gmail-odd"><th class="gmail-column-1 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:322.333px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Callsign</span></font></th><th class="gmail-column-2 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:437.983px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">March 2024</span></font></th><th class="gmail-column-3 gmail-sorting_disabled" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="width:391.683px"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">April 2024</span></font></th></tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="gmail-row-hover">
<tr class="gmail-row-2 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">SV8CS</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">153</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">159</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-3 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KB8VAO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">135</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">148</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-4 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">HB9RYZ</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">145</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">147</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-5 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DL4ZAB</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">138</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">139</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-6 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">NK1K</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">129</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">138</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-7 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DL2MIH</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">111</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">132</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-8 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">XE1MEX</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">122</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">125</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-9 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">KK5DO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">106</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">108</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-10 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">K9UO</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">101</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">106</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-11 gmail-odd">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">DL8GAM</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">101</span></font></td>
</tr><tr class="gmail-row-12 even">
<td class="gmail-column-1"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">XE1L</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-2"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">New</span></font></td><td class="gmail-column-3"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">100</span></font></td>
</tr></tbody>
</table></div>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">
————————————————————</span></font>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holder.<br>
XE1L is first DXCC Satellite holder from DL80</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?</strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-size-medium gmail-wp-image-56929" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AMSAT-Car-Flag-e1705691761784-300x235.png" alt="" width="300" height="235"></strong></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><strong>Keeping Amateur Radio in Space</strong><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear"><strong>https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear</strong></a></span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 12</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of
the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after
reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More
information may be found at <a href="https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/">https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/</a>.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Ending an Era, Final Delta Rocket Launched This Week</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Ending an era in U.S. rocketry, United Launch Alliance fired off its
16th and final triple-core Delta 4 Heavy Tuesday, launching a classified
spy satellite in the last hurrah of a storied family of rockets dating
back to the dawn of the space age.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The Heavy’s three hydrogen-fueled RS-68A first stage engines ignited
with a rush of bright orange flame at 12:53 p.m. EDT, smoothly pushing
the 235-foot-tall rocket away from pad 37 at the Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station in Florida.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align:center"><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-57700" src="https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/040924-d4h-launch2.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="320"><br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><em>The last Delta 4 Heavy rocket climbs away from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 9, 2024,<br>
carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite. (United Launch Alliance photo.)</em></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The launch came 12 days late, primarily because of work to replace a
pump in a system that supplies nitrogen gas to multiple launch pads from
a pipeline running through the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape
Canaveral Space Force Station. There were no problems Tuesday.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Mounted atop the rocket was a classified satellite provided by the
National Reconnaissance Office, the secretive government agency that
manages the nation’s fleet of sophisticated optical and radar imaging
reconnaissance satellites and electronic eavesdropping stations.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In keeping with standard NRO-U.S. Space Force policy for such
missions, no details about the NROL-70 payload were released. But about
six hours after launch, the National Reconnaissance Office declared the
launch a success, indicating the satellite reached its planned orbit.The
final appearance of a Delta rocket 63 years after the first variant’s
maiden flight was an emotional milestone for the managers, engineers and
technicians who assembled and launched the last member of the family.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The Delta family of stages and rockets had its roots in the early
space program, first serving in the nation’s fleet of intermediate-range
ballistic missiles and evolving through multiple versions used to put
military, NASA and civilian payloads into orbit.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The now-retired Delta 2 debuted in 1990, putting the first Global
Positioning System satellites into orbit and sending multiple planetary
probes into deep space, including Messenger to Mercury, multiple Mars
orbiters, the Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, the
Spitzer Space Telescope and many more.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The single-core Delta 4 first flew in 2002 with the first Heavy
following two years later. The single-core version flew the program’s
final flight in 2019. Tuesday’s launch was the 45th flight of a Delta 4
and the 16th and final Delta 4 Heavy.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“Launching the last Delta 4 is bittersweet for me,” Col. Eric
Zarybnisky, director of NRO’s Office of Space Launch, said in a
statement. “I was part of the team that launched the first Delta 4 for
the NRO. Since that time, the Delta 4 has put amazing capability on
orbit for this nation.”</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, also called
the flight a “bittersweet” moment as the company continues its
transition to next-generation Vulcan rockets, phasing out its more
expensive Delta and Atlas families.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">“Soon, Vulcan will pick up that mantle and we’re going to retire this
venerable rocket that has made so much important work for our country,”
he said after launch in a pre-recorded video.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks William Harwood, CBS News, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ARISS NEWS</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">RECENTLY COMPLETED</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">ARTADEMIA, Milano, Italy, AND Scuola Secondaria I grado “A. Moro”, Ponte Lambro (CO), Italy, direct via IK1SLD<br>
The ISS callsign was OR4ISS. The crewmember was Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU. The ARISS mentor was IZ2GOJ.<br>
Contact was successful: Wed 2024-04-10 13:16:48 UTC 53 degrees elevation<br>
Congratulations to the ARTADEMIA and Scuola Secondaria I grado “A. Moro”
students, Jeanette, mentor IZ2GOJ, and ground station IK1SLD!<br>
Watch the recorded Livestream at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/sJoKzK2292U?si=BxXWi41cfsJJv4c2">https://www.youtube.com/live/sJoKzK2292U?si=BxXWi41cfsJJv4c2</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><strong style="font-family:georgia,serif">UPCOMING</strong></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Mrs Ethelston’s CE Primary Academy at Axminster Community Academy Trust, Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, direct via GB4ACA<br>
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled
crewmember is Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR. The ARISS mentor is MØXTD.<br>
Contact is go for: Wed 2024-04-17 10:44:49 UTC 81 degrees elevation<br>
Watch for Livestream at <a href="https://live.ariss.org">https://live.ariss.org</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Mountain View Elementary, Marietta, GA, direct via KQ4JVI<br>
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. The scheduled
crewmember is Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU. The ARISS mentor is K4RGK.<br>
Contact is go for: Thu 2024-04-18 17:48:40 UTC 44 deg<br>
Watch for Livestream at <a href="https://youtube.com/live/lDjyV6P9x6I">https://youtube.com/live/lDjyV6P9x6I</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The packet system (145.825 MHz up & down) is currently misconfigured and not in operation.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The Ham TV system (2395.00 MHz down) is aboard but currently stowed. The BATC Ham TV wiki is at <a href="https://wiki.batc.org.uk/HAMTV_from_the_ISS">https://wiki.batc.org.uk/HAMTV_from_the_ISS</a> and there is also a discussion channel available on the site.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The SSTV system (145.800 MHz down) is currently stowed.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The latest information on the operation mode can be found at <a href="https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html">https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at <a href="https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html">https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Upcoming Satellite Operations</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Doug, N6UA will soon embark on a big circuitous rove covering parts
of MT, ID, OR and NV. I’m guessing this will take place in the next week
or two, but only Doug knows for certain. APRS is gonna be your friend
here.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on <a href="https://hams.at">https://hams.at</a>.
By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive
information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid
squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score
between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also
being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible
from your location.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating
through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club
meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">2024 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop<br>
Tuesday April 23rd – Thursday April 25th<br>
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://www.cubesatdw.org/">https://www.cubesatdw.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Dayton Hamvention 2024<br>
Friday May 17th – Sunday May 19th<br>
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center<br>
120 Fairground Road<br>
Xenia, OH 45385<br></span></font>
<font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><a href="https://hamvention.org">https://hamvention.org</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]</span></font></p>
<hr>
<h2><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Satellite Shorts From All Over</span></font></h2>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ NASA now knows what knocked Voyager 1 offline, but it will take a
while to fix. Voyager 1’s remaining Flight Data Subsystem (its redundant
copy failed in 1982) is the reason that the distant spacecraft is
currently offline. Voyager’s FDS were the first computers on a
spacecraft to use volatile memory. Unfortunately, one of Voyager 1’s FDS
memory chips is malfunctioning—NASA hopes they can work around it, but
it will likely take months.(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above
information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ If you have 26 minutes to spare, and want to explore more
intricacies of Ohm’s Law than you were taught in school, watch
electricity flow through a wire a nanosecond at a time at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw</a> (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ Following repairs to a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon Heavy’s
core booster, NASA and SpaceX have rescheduled the launch of the GOES-U
satellite, the final installment in NOAA’s GOES-R Series, for June 25.
The adjustment aims to ensure thorough examination and resolution of the
issue, discovered during a routine inspection in February. With
preparations now back on track, the deployment of GOES-U from Kennedy
Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A will proceed using a SpaceX Falcon
Heavy rocket. Managed cooperatively by NOAA and NASA, the GOES-R Series
Program encompasses satellite operations, data dissemination, and ground
systems oversight, with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center leading
spacecraft acquisition and instrument development. Lockheed Martin’s
contributions include design, construction, and testing of the
satellites, while L3Harris Technologies has provided key instruments and
ground systems essential for capturing atmospheric observations. (ANS
thanks Clarence Oxford, SpaceDaily, for the above information)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ The European Union is poised to finalize a security deal with the
United States, enabling payments to Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite
launches due to delays in Europe’s Ariane rocket system. Approved by
national general affairs ministers, the agreement grants European Union
and European Space Agency (ESA) personnel continuous access to launch
facilities and prioritized debris retrieval rights in case of SpaceX
rocket failures. With a 200 million deal already struck last year,
SpaceX is contracted to launch four Galileo satellites as Ariane 6 faces
further delays. While Ariane 6 is slated for a summer launch,
commercial missions await later scheduling. The arrangement with SpaceX
allows for two Galileo satellite launches this year, necessitated by
Soyuz launcher cancellations and Ariane 6 delays. The security pact
ensures access to classified Galileo equipment, with provisions for
debris retrieval and a sunset clause by 2027 to address concerns about
reliance on SpaceX over Ariane. (ANS thanks Joshua Poaaner, Politico
Europe, for the above information)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">+ NASA has been tasked by the White House to establish a
lunar-centric time reference system, known as Coordinated Lunar Time
(LTC), to aid missions requiring extreme precision on the moon. The
agency has until the end of 2026 to set up LTC, which is not akin to
Earth’s time zones but provides a frame of time reference for the moon.
LTC will accommodate the slightly faster passage of time on the moon,
approximately 58.7 microseconds each day compared to Earth, due to its
lower gravity. It will serve as a benchmark for timekeeping for lunar
spacecraft and satellites, crucial for their missions. NASA’s Artemis
program, set to begin astronaut missions to the lunar surface in 2026,
necessitates LTC for synchronization among Earth, lunar satellites,
bases, and astronauts, without which data transfers and communications
could be compromised. Developing LTC will require international
agreements, possibly influenced by the Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)
standard, with potential implementation involving atomic clocks on the
moon and adherence to existing space agreements like the Artemis
accords. (ANS thanks Diana Ramirez-Simon, The Guardian, for the above
information)</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"> </span></font></p>
<hr>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Join AMSAT today at <a href="https://launch.amsat.org/">https://launch.amsat.org/</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">* Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).<br>
* Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.<br>
* 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.<br>
* Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Contact info [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a> for additional membership information.</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!</span></font></p>
<p><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">This week’s ANS Editor, Mark Johns, KØJM<br>
k0jm [at] <a href="http://amsat.org">amsat.org</a></span></font></p>
</div>
</div><font size="4"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><br></span></font></div>