[jamsat-news:2464] ANS-055 AMSAT Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-055

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:

ans-editor@amsat.org


In this edition:
* AMSAT Keplerian Data Approval
* Current AMSAT Awards/AMSAT Journal
* Call For European CubeSats on the Vega Maiden Flight
* ARISS Status - 18 February 2008
* OSCAR-11 Report


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.01
AMSAT Keplerian Data Approval

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.01
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 24, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.01

I am pleased to announce that AMSAT's 2008-2009 request to re-distribute
Keplerian elements from US Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Space-Track
web site has been approved.
Our USSTRATCOM Form 1 request to re-distribute the Keps was approved
as of  February 21, 2008.

This means that AMSAT will continue to distribute  the NASA  verbose and
the two line format keplerian data for another year.
Thanks to AFSPC for their help.

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.02
Current AMSAT Awards/AMSAT Journal

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.02
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 24, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.02

We would like to welcome the following to the satellite community.
They have made their first satellite contact and are now members of the
AMSAT Satellite Communicators Club.

Keith Schlottman, KR7RK
Kevin Hartley, VE7OVY
Jim Sullivan, WB6TNF

To see all the awards visit http://www.amsat.org or
http://www.amsatnet.com


Bruce Paige, KK5DO

AMSAT Director Contests and Awards

ARRL Awards Manager (WAS, 5BWAS, VUCC), VE

Also,
The JAN/FEB Journal was sent to the printer on 2/22/08. Ed, WA4SWJ, does 
an excellent job of putting together this publication and we thank him 
for his continuing efforts.

[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO & Ed Long, WA4SWJ, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.03
Call For European CubeSats on the Vega Maiden Flight

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.03
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 24, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.03

Call For European CubeSats on the Vega Maiden Flight

The European Space Agency (ESA) Education Office has the pleasure in
issuing a Call For CubeSat Proposals to universities in ESA Member
and Cooperating States to participate as an educational payload on
the Maiden Flight of the Vega Launcher.

The ESA Education Office recognises the growing importance of CubeSat
projects as a key tool in providing university students with a valuable
hands-on practical education across all space engineering disciplines
from end-to-end through the complete space project lifecycle.

The launch opportunity on the Vega Maiden Flight is offered free of
charge for up to 6 CubeSats, with an additional 2 backup CubeSats on
stand-by.

Proposals are solicited from interested universities with CubeSat
projects of sufficient maturity level to be able to meet the Vega
Maiden Flight schedule (current target launch date of December 2008).

Proposals (max. 15 pages) must be submitted via e-mail to:
education@esa.int in PDF or MS Word format by the deadline
of 17 March 2008.

Proposals will be evaluated by the ESA Selection Board and the
selected CubeSats will be announced on the ESA Education web portal
by 15 April 2008.

Details can be found on-line at:
http://www.esa.int/esaED/SEMSJ8QR4CF_index_0.html

[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information]



/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.04
OSCAR-11 Report

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.04
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 24, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.04

OSCAR-11 Copied But Signal Becomes Intermittent

OSCAR-11 was heard from 22 January to 01 February and from 11 February
to 15 February.  Signals have been very variable in strength sometimes
very strong, sometimes undetectable, even at high elevations. Low signal
strength was particularly noticeable at AOS and LOS, and also towards
the end of the transmission periods.  OSCAR-11 is expected to switch
back on under control of its on-board timer around 07 March.

There should be a short period of transmissions before permanent eclipses
start in mid March. After March it is unlikely that the satellite will
support any sustained period of operation, and will only transmit for a
short time, possibly less than a single orbit, every 21 days.

Many thanks to Peter ZL3TC, Chris M0DQO, Tobias DG3LV, Edward BX1AD,
Mark KU7Z, Gene WA4UKX, SWL Mark in CM87, Ron G4PGY, Julian WB9YIG
and John KB2HSH for their reports.

OSCAR-11 beacon frequency is on 145.826 MHz, AFSK FM ASCII Telemetry.

See http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ for additional information.

[ANS thanks Clive, G3CWV for the above information]


/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.05
ARISS Status - 18 February 2008

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.05
   From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
February 24, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.05


ARISS Status Report for the Week of February 18, 2008

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Robespierre Elementary School in Rueil Malmaison, France had an
ARISS contact on Thursday, February 21 at 14:21 UTC.  Two hundred
fifty-six students in grades 1-5 are enrolled at the school. ESA
astronaut LñÐpold Eyharts, FX0STD/KE5FNO, participated in this
contact which will was conducted in French.

An ARISS contact is planned for College Reydellet in Saint-Denis,
Ile de La RñÖnion on Monday, February 25 at 14:44 UTC. Approximately
550 students, ages 10-17, attend the school.  Students contacted
Victor Afanassiev on MIR from Tsup, Moscow in September 1999 and the
College welcomed Victor Poliakov and Pavel Vinogradov who threw the
space model from MIR, and Jean-Lou Chretien , Jean-Pierre and Claudie
Haignere. ESA astronaut LñÐpold Eyharts, FX0STD/KE5FNO, plans to
participate in this contact which will be conducted in French.

2. Shukor Debrief Scheduled

An ARISS crew debrief has been scheduled with Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar
Shukor, 9W2MUS, on Tuesday, February 26. The first Malaysian space
visitor, Shukor participated in 5 ARISS contacts with students in
Malaysia while onboard the ISS.

3. ARRL Covers Columbus News

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a W1AW bulletin and a
Web story on the Columbus module with the ARISS antennas. To view t
he story, see: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/02/14/101/?nc=1

On Friday, February 15, The ARRL Letter also posted the article,
"Astronauts Work on Columbus Lab on the ISS."
See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/08/0215/

4. Amateur Radio Newsline Articles on ARISS

Amateur Radio Newsline's Report 1592, posted on February 15, 2008 ran
two ARISS related articles: "Ham Radio in Space: ISS Repeater Contacts
Good for JAMSAT Award," and "Ham Radio in Space: New ARISS Antennas
Now on the ISS."  To view these articles, go to: www.arnewsline.org.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/EX


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors
to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.
Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Dee Interdonato, NB2F
nb2f at amsat dot org














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