[jamsat-news:1372] AMSAT SPECIAL BULLETIN

[Dan James <DanJ@marvin.com>]

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-327.01
AMSAT SPECIAL BULLETIN

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 327.01 FROM AMSAT HQ
SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 22, 2000
TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-327.01

AO-40 command stations have been quite busy lately as general
housekeeping tasks have been underway to verify the health of the
many complex systems onboard AMSAT OSCAR-40 - all with very
good results.

P3D Project leader Dr. Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, informed ANS that
following the successful launch and injection into nominal orbit, initial
telemetry from the satellite was expected on 70-cm at about the
3-hour mission mark. This did not happen and consequently the
spacecraft was switched to use the 144 MHz middle beacon as the
main telemetry downlink. This required a new program to be uploaded
into P3D's IHU-2 system.

After new software, communication was established and the health
of AO-40 was analyzed and tested. DJ4ZC happily reported "except
for the UHF transmitter, everything was found to be nominal and
working fine." The attitude control system was then calibrated and
torque reorientation operations started, which are still underway.
Both 2400 MHz transmitters were successfully operated and pictures
from the separation sequence are now being downloaded and will
soon be available.

The first planned orbit change will soon take place and that should result
in a 50,000 km apogee. This will allow a thorough study of the 70-cm 
transmitter problem using P3D's hi-gain antennas (which) would
then be available.

After the first orbit change is completed a test the electric propulsion
Arcjet system will take place (and) if successful, it will be used to
further
increase the apogee of AO-40.

AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH, told ANS that "plans
are in place to make AO-40 available for a limited period of general
Amateur Radio use possibly within a week or two." This provisional
operation would involve "one or two bands at a time," said VE3FRH.
Details of the limited test period will be announced by an official
AMSAT bulletin and via the AO-40 telemetry beacon.

Stay tuned to ANS for additional bulletins from AMSAT, the
official source for information on AMSAT OSCAR-40.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA and AMSAT-DL for this information]

/EX

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