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[jamsat-news:1107] * SpaceNews 14-Jun-99 *
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0614
* SpaceNews 14-Jun-99 *
BID: $SPC0614
=========
SpaceNews
=========
MONDAY JUNE 14, 1999
* SETI AT HOME GLITCH *
=======================
A minor "glitch" in the SETI@home server software has resulted in many
volunteers processing the same 115 blocks of data from a two day period
in January that were recorded by the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico.
The glitch occurred on May 24, and no new work units have been sent
out since. SETI@home apologizes for this problem, which is due to the
overwhelming number of volunteers who have signed up with the project.
SETI@home is a volunteer effort that uses spare CPU cycles of home computers
worldwide to process signals detected from space by large radio telescopes.
Volunteers are sent "work units" that are processed by home computers with
results sent back to SETI@home for further analysis.
150,000 volunteers were expected to sign up with the SETI@home program
after it was opened last month. However, over 500,000 participants have
joined the effort, and this overwhelming number is what is believed to
have caused the recent problem. Things are expected to return to normal
shortly after a cluster of newly donated workstations from Sun Microsystems
are installed in the next few weeks.
* FUJI-OSCAR-29 NEWS *
======================
The FO-29 command station has released a new operating schedule for
the FUJI-OSCAR-29 satellite:
Mon 07-Jun-99 0500 UTC -to- Thu 17-Jun-99 0500 UTC : Mode JA
Thu 17-Jun-99 0500 UTC -to- Mon 21-Jun-99 0300 UTC : Mode JD 1200 baud
Mon 21-Jun-99 0300 UTC -to- Mon 05-Jul-99 : Mode JA
[Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK]
* AMSAT-LU WEB SITE *
=====================
AMSAT Argentina's web site has been completed updated. The URL is:
http://members.xoom.com/Amsat_LU/
[Info via Sergio Gorgone, LW7DXF, Webmaster and AMSAT-LU Area Coordinator]
* WORLD'S FIRST 24 GHz PSK? *
=============================
On 10 June 1999, a possible world first PSK communication contact was
achieved on 24 GHz when Danny Orban ON4AOD, the builder of the Ka band
transponder for AMSAT P3-D and Peter Gzow, DB2OS, Digital Communications
Manager and Command Station of P3-D, turned the 24 GHz transmitter on for
the final check-out after antenna adjustments. Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC,
Project Leader of AMSAT P3-D was very delighted by the sound of the 400
Bit/s PSK transmission and detection of the signal using an 24 GHz to 2m
downconverter connected to the command station.
This is indeed an vivid example how amateur radio is still breaking new
grounds in communications technology.
The P3D Team
Lou McFadin W5DID
P3D Integration Manager
* LINUX SSTV *
==============
The Mir space station can occasionally be heard transmitting color slow-scan
television images on a downlink frequency of 145.985 MHz FM using a ROBOT 36
format. Slow-scan television images are typically decoded and displayed
using computer software designed for SSTV communications. SSTV signals are
delivered to a computer using the audio input of a soundcard, or by using
a simple A/D or voltage comparator interface. These approaches however,
have been somewhat limited to only DOS and Windoze computing environments.
ON1MH reports that he is working on an SSTV program for the Linux operating
system program that can currently receive Martin 1 and 2, Scottie 1 and 2,
Wraase SC2 180, as well as ROBOT 36 images, and can transmit images using
Martin 1 and 2 modes. His program called QSSTV uses Qt libraries (such as
those used by the KDE graphical user interface), and sends and receives SSTV
signals using a soundcard. The latest version of QSSTV was released on
May 30, 1999, and the results so far look very promising.
Further information on QSSTV is available at the following URL:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/on1mh/qsstv.html
Samples of SSTV images received by QSSTV are available at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/on1mh/gallery/index.html
* RUSSIANS TO ABANDON MIR *
===========================
Commercial news services report that the Mir space station will be abandoned
after its current crew departs in August, and be de-orbited early next year.
$250 million a year is needed to keep the Mir aloft. The Russian government
has said it would only pay for the Mir's operation through August, and
efforts to lure private investors for further missions have failed. If
money is found, a new crew can travel to Mir and continue work there.
If not, ground controllers will lower Mir's orbit to cause it to burn
it in the earth's atmosphere, with some fragments falling into an
uninhabited part of the ocean.
* 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 @ N2SMV.NJ.USA.NA <-------------- New address!
INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net
SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, KITSAT-OSCAR-25
<<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>
<<=- Serving the planet (and beyond) since 1987 -=>>
/EX
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- John A. Magliacane, KD2BD -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Internet : kd2bd@amsat.org | Voice : +1.732.224.2948
Satellite : AO-16, KO-25 | Morse : -.- -.. ..--- -... -..
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-=-=-=-=-=- Linux is user-friendly. It's just not idiot-friendly! =-=-=-=-=-
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