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[jamsat-news:790] * SpaceNews 16-Mar-98 *
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0316
* SpaceNews 16-Mar-98 *
BID: $SPC0316
=========
SpaceNews
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MONDAY MARCH 16, 1998
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It
is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use.
* COLLINS NAMED FIRST FEMALE SHUTTLE COMMANDER *
================================================
Astronaut Eileen Collins (Lt. Col., USAF) will become the first woman to
command a Space Shuttle when Columbia launches on the STS-93 mission in
December 1998. Collins will be joined on the flight deck by Pilot Jeffrey S.
Ashby (Cmdr., USN) and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley, Ph.D., and
Catherine G. "Cady" Coleman, Ph.D (Major, USAF). CNES Astronaut Michel
Tognini (Col., French Air Force) was named to the crew on November 12.
Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Collins has served as a pilot on her
two previous space flights. Her first space flight was STS-63 in February
1995 as Discovery approached to within 30 feet of Mir, in a dress rehearsal
for the first Shuttle/Mir docking. In May 1997, she visited the Mir space
station as pilot on board Atlantis for the sixth Shuttle/Mir docking mission,
delivering Astronaut Mike Foale and returning Jerry Linenger to Earth.
STS-93 will be the first flight for Ashby. Hawley will be making his fifth
space flight during STS-93, having flown previously on STS-41D in 1984,
STS-61C in 1986, STS-31 in 1990 and STS-82 in 1997. Coleman has one
previous space flight to her credit, having flown on STS-73, the second
United States Microgravity Laboratory mission in October/November 1995.
Tognini, who spent 14 days on the Mir space station in 1992, will be making
his first Shuttle flight on STS-93.
During the five-day mission, the crew will deploy the Advanced X-ray
Astrophysics Facility Imaging System (AXAF), which will conduct comprehensive
studies of the universe. AXAF will be the most advanced X-ray telescope ever
flown. When scientists begin using AXAF next year, they will finally be able
to unlock the secrets of some of the most distant, powerful and violent
objects known to exist in the universe. They will study such exotic phenomena
as exploding stars called supernovae, strange powerful objects called quasars,
and mysterious black holes which are so massive that everything near them is
pulled inside causing an explosion of X-rays that AXAF can study.
[Info via NASA Press Release 98-37]
* KC5HBR RETIRES FROM ASTRONAUT CORPS *
=======================================
US astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, who was aboard the MIR space station
for 122 days last year, has retired from the astronaut corps, according to
NASA sources. Linenger will pursue private interests.
KC5HBR was aboard the space station when a fire broke out just over one
year ago, ignited by oxygen-generating 'candles' used on the spacecraft.
The fire, a collision with a Progress supply rocket last summer, several
computer failures, and other problems made international news and led some
officials to question sending additional US astronauts to train aboard MIR.
Linenger, a physician and a captain in the US Navy, was aboard the Russian
space station from January to May 1997.
[Info via the AMSAT News Service]
* DOVE-OSCAR-17 CRASH *
=======================
DOVE-OSCAR-17 appears to have experienced a problem recently. It is currently
off the air on 2-meters and as of last Thrusday, control station Jim White,
WD0E, hash not been able to get it to reset properly. Jim reports that he
will be working on the satellite, and expects the S-band transmitter's
operation to be intermittent as he works with the ROM software and loader.
[Info via Jim White, WD0E]
* AMSAT ANNUAL MEETING CALL FOR PAPERS *
========================================
The 16th Annual AMSAT Meeting and Space Symposium will be held October 16 to
18th at the Park Inn International Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This is
the first call to authors who wish to present papers at the Symposium and be
printed in the official Proceedings document. The subject matter should be
topics of interest to the amateur radio satellite community.
One page abstracts are due no later than June 1, 1998, and authors will
be advised by June 15th regarding whether their paper has been accepted.
Camera ready copies of the accepted papers are due no later than August 15,
1998.
Papers will only be superficially edited and will generally be printed as
submitted. Authors are requested to provide an electronic file, preferably
in any version of Word or WordPerfect.
Abstracts can be sent to:
Malcolm Keown, W5XX,
14 Lake Circle Drive
Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180.
Malcolm is also available via e-mail at: w5xx@magnolia.net
Proceedings of the Symposium will be printed by the ARRL and made available
at, and after, the event.
Information regarding Vicksburg area attractions and details on arrangements
for the 16th Space Symposium and AMSAT Annual Meeting can be found at:
http://pages.pordigy.com/DXHF93A
For additional information please contact:
Eddie Pettis, N5JGK
114 Terrace St.
Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180
Eddie is also available via e-mail at: n5jgk@amsat.org
[Info via the AMSAT News Service]
* JOHN GLENN TAKES HAM CLASS *
==============================
An unconfirmed report claims that US Senator and NASA astronaut John Glenn
took Gordon West's ham class at Fry's Electronics in Southern California
last weekend. John Glenn is preparing to fly on the STS-95 US Space Shuttle
mission in October. A SAREX package is expected to be carried on STS-95.
In addition to John Glenn, US astronaut Scott Parazynski, KC5RSY, and
European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque, KC5RGG, of Spain, will be
among the international crew aboard the STS-95 shuttle flight.
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John,
KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below:
WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net
SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19, KITSAT-OSCAR-25
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