[jamsat-news:3594] [ans] ANS-055 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletin
Frank Karnauskas via ANS
ans ＠ amsat.org
2019年 2月 24日 (日) 09:14:53 JST
AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-055
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and
information service of AMSAT North America, 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.
The news feed on http://amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio
in space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat dot org.
In this edition:
* 50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement
Award (Limited Edition) Starts March 3rd
* FalconSAT-3 Digipeater Waiting for Your APRS Packets
* Qatar OSCAR-100 Web Receiver Now Live
* AMSAT Journal January/February 2019 Is on Its Way
* KickSat-2 is Alive and Being Tracked (Updated 2/19/2019)
* Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course
* IARU Region 1 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Announced
* This Month in AMSAT History
* AMSAT-SA Space Symposium March 16, 2019
* HamSCI Workshop Receives National Science Foundation Grant
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-055.01
ANS-055 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 055.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
February 24, 2019
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-055.01
50th Anniversary AMSAT OSCAR Satellite Communications Achievement
Award (Limited Edition) Starts March 3rd
Get those uplinks ready! Much like the regular AMSAT OSCAR Satellite
Communications Achievement Award, the 50th Anniversary Limited
Edition is unique in that the award certificates will be printed on
one of the original goldenrod paper stock certificates and signed by
AMSAT’s founding President, Perry Klein, K3JTE (now W3PK). With only
20 original certificates available, this award will certainly become
a collector’s item.
The first 20 applicants to successfully submit 20 confirmed,
qualifying contacts on any satellite will receive this award. A
qualifying contact is defined as the establishment of two-way
communication on any amateur radio satellite, with another station in
a U.S. state, Canadian call area, or DXCC entity, no two of which may
be the same.
- All contacts must be made between March 03, 2019 00:00 UTC and
December 31, 2019 23:59 UTC.
- A U.S. state shall mean any state of the United States and the
District of Columbia.
- The 14 Canadian call areas are VE1 – Nova Scotia, VE2 – Quebec,
VE3 – Ontario, VE4 – Manitoba, VE5 – Saskatchewan, VE6 – Alberta,
VE7 – British Columbia, VE8 – Northwest Territories,
VE9 – New Brunswick, VO1 – Newfoundland, VO2 – Labrador,
VY0 – Nunavut, VY1 – Yukon, VY2 – Prince Edward Island.
- Only one qualifying contact is allowed for each U.S. state,
Canadian call area, and DXCC entity.
- Qualifying contacts may not be counted for multiple types of
entities. As an example, a QSO with Alaska counts as an additional
state or DXCC entity, not both.
- Contacts must be made from same location, or from locations, no two
of which are more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart.
- Previous recipients of the AMSAT Satellite Communications
Achievement Award, may apply for the 50th Anniversary AMSAT
Satellite Communications Achievement Award.
The complete rules and instructions for applying for this and all
50th Anniversary Awards can be found at:
https://www.amsat.org/amsat-50th-anniversary-awards-program/
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.]
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For a limited time, new and renewing AMSAT members
will receive a free digital copy of
"Getting Started with Amateur Satellites"
Join or renew your AMSAT membership today at
https://www.amsat.org/product-category/amsat-membership/
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FalconSAT-3 Digipeater Waiting for Your APRS Packets
While NO-84 is in a poor sun angle and the ISS digipeater proves to
be a challenge these days, APRS fans might be longing for something
to do. Fear not!
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR reminds us that FalconSAT-3 is available to us 5
times a day. (Or, more like 5 times a night for US operators right
now.) Bob writes:
"For APRS folks just sitting in their mobile with nothing to do, you
can work FalconSAT-3 from any APRS mobile Although passes now are
from about midnight to 6 AM EST, that pattern moves earlier about 36
minutes a day.
"Unlike the NO-84 and ISS digipeaters that operate on a single 2
meter frequency, FalconSAT-3 uses an uplink of 145.840 MHz and a
downlink of 435.103 MHz. The uplink doesn’t change, but the downlink
frequency needs to be adjusted downward throughout a pass. Tune
435.110 MHz at start of pass, then clicking down steps of 5 KHz
towards the middle of the pass and then ending at 435.095 by the end
ten minutes later. If you are just going to monitor overnight, set
to 435.103 for the early middle of the pass and check your LIST in
the morning.
"The FalconSAT digipeater operates APRS at 9600 baud and works fine
from a 50W APRS mobile with mobile antenna. Just turn on your rig,
set the internal TNC to 9600 baud and monitor the downlink. You
should see packets from PFS3-1 (the APRS broadcast call sign) and
other stations.
"Uplink takes a few more settings. Using a Kenwood TM-D710:
- Set your path to go via PFS3-1.
- Set the TNC to TX A and RX B.
- Set the uplink on band A to 145.84. (No need to adjust for
Doppler).
- Set the beacon to once a minute.
- Turn off decay and proportional pathing.
"You will NOT see your own digipeats. Although the satellite and
D710 are operating full duplex, the D710 TNC is not. By the time
the TNC TX/RX turns around, you will already have missed it. So
don't keep transmitting until you see your packet. You won't
see it. But, when you do see someone else's APRS packet, by all
means send them a message. If he ACKS, then success!
"You don't even need a computer to predict FalconSAT-3's passes.
Once you hear a pass, then just remember that passes are 36 minutes
earlier each day and the next pass is always 98 minutes later unless
that was the last pass of the day."
For more detailed information on programming various radios for
working FalconSAT-3, see Patrick, WD9EWK's AMSAT Journal article at:
https://tinyurl.com/ans-055-falconsat-3.
[ANS thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR for the above information.]
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Qatar OSCAR-100 Web Receiver Now Live
The BATC and AMSAT-UK 10 GHz Narrowband WebSDR and Wideband Spectrum
Viewer for the amateur radio transponders on the Es’hail-2 / QO-100
geostationary satellite are now available online.
The geostationary satellite Es’hail-2 carrying amateur radio
transponders launched from Kennedy Space Center at 20:46 GMT on
Thursday, November 15, 2018 and is now in a geostationary orbit at
25.9° East. The transponders should link radio amateurs across a
third of the globe from Brazil to Thailand.
Following commissioning of the satellite on February 12, 2019 the
Qatar Amateur Radio Society (QARS) invited radio amateurs worldwide
to use the Es’hail-2 / QO-100 narrowband transponder.
In co-operation with AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club
will be operating a 10 GHz WebSDR for the narrowband segment, and a
Spectrum Viewer for the wideband (DATV) segment. Goonhilly Earth
Station is supporting the project, providing hosting for the
Ground Station facility at their world-famous site in Cornwall, UK.
You can listen to the WebSDR's at:
https://eshail.batc.org.uk/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
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AMSAT Journal January/February 2019 Is on Its Way
The current issue (Volume 42, Number 1) of The AMSAT Journal is on
its way to AMSAT members' mailboxes.
This issue's cover features a well-illustrated story of the AMSAT
operation on the Queen Mary by Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK. Other
interesting articles in this edition include:
- In his Apogee View column President Joe Spier, K6WAO hints at a
1969 themed "OSCAR Park" display AMSAT's Golden Jubilee booth at
Dayton Hamvention.
- Educational Relations Update by Alan B. Johnston, KU2Y
- New AMSAT CubeSat Simulator: Part 2, Classroom Activities
by Alan B. Johnston, KU2Y and Pat Kilroy, N8PK
- AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program
- Fox-in-a-Box: An Easily Deployed Satellite Telemetry Receiver
by Burns Fisher, WB1FJ and Chris Thompson, G0KLA
- Grid Squares and Dough Squares: A Mississippi/Louisiana Rove
by Robert Bankston, KE4AL and Brian Karcher, KG5GJT
- L-band Uplink Amplifier by Ed Krome, K9EK
- Arduino Based Amateur Satellite Antenna Tracker - ABBASAT
by Don Corrington, AK2S
- Digital Voice on Amateur Satellites: Experiences with
LilacSat-OSCAR 90 by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
- Member Footprints: Share Your Experiences as an AMSAT Member
Remember, if you're not an AMSAT member, you're not getting
The AMSAT Journal and you're NOT getting all the news!
[ANS thanks AMSAT Journal Editor-in-Chief Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK for
the above information.]
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KickSat-2 is Alive and Being Tracked (Updated 2/19/2019)
For the first couple of days after the 3U KickSat-2 was deployed from
Cygnus NG-10 last November, nothing was heard from the satellite. But
in a February 16 post to AMSAT-BB, Nico Janssen, PA0DLO, reported
receiving several short and weak transmissions from KickSat 2 — short
telemetry bursts on 437.5077 MHz. Assistant Professor of Aeronautics
and Astronautics at Stanford University Zac Manchester, KD2BHC, is
the principal investigator for the KickSat project, which NASA
adopted as an official mission.
“Yes, KickSat-2 is alive,” Manchester told ARRL. “We have been
tracking it since Thursday, [February 14,] and have been able to
decode at least some packets. The signal is weak and we think the
antenna did not properly deploy on the CubeSat.”
KickSat-2 is scheduled to deploy up to 104 tiny Sprite satellites
into low Earth orbit. The Sprites then would transmit on 437.240 MHz
at 10 mW, communicating with each other via a mesh network and with
command stations on Earth. The Sprites, which are less than 2 square
inches, are expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere within weeks.
Manchester did not indicate if attempts would be made to deploy the
Sprites.
NASA calls KickSat-2 a technology demonstration mission that’s
designed to demonstrate the deployment and operation of prototype
Sprite “ChipSats,” also known as “femtosatellites.”
The FCC recently imposed a $900,000 penalty on a commercial concern,
Swarm Technologies, for launching similar tiny satellites after the
FCC had denied permission. “These spacecraft are therefore below
the size threshold at which detection by the Space Surveillance
Network can be considered routine,” the FCC told Swarm Technologies.
Manchester had been trying without success to convince the FCC to
allow him to deploy the Sprites from KickSat-2, but, apparently gun
shy after the Swarm action, the agency denied permission at the last
moment. Once NASA adopted KickSat-2 as its own mission, however,
the regulatory body shifted to the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), and the launch went forward.
In the Swarm Technologies proceeding, the FCC has argued that
satellites smaller than 10 centimeters on any side were too small,
although the agency has been accused of inconsistency in its approach
to licensing small satellites. KickSat-2’s Sprites are 3.5
centimeters on the side and just 0.2 centimeters thick. Manchester’s
2014 KickSat was unable to deploy its Sprites before deorbiting.
The FCC issued an Enforcement Advisory last April to remind satellite
operators that they must obtain FCC authorization for space station
and Earth station operations. The advisory cautioned satellite
operators and launch companies against proceeding with launch
arrangements following a license denial or prior to receiving an FCC
authorization.
Manchester is reported to be developing a plan to deploy a group of
small satellites to survey the sky in the LF radio range, something
that cannot be done from the ground owing to the ionosphere.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]
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Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course
The European Space Agency's Ladybird Guide to Spacecraft
Communications Training Course was created to get students thinking
like spacecraft operators. 30 university students from 12 different
ESA Member States have successfully completed the latest Ladybird
Guide to Spacecraft Communications Training Course. Running from
5 – 8 February 2019, and hosted at ESA Academy’s Training and
Learning Facility, ESEC-Galaxia in Belgium, the course was delivered
by a senior ESA engineer.
This course was the fourth edition of ESA Academy’s Ladybird Guide
to Spacecraft Communications Training Course. The tried-and-tested
aim remained: acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of
spacecraft telecommunications. The “Ladybird approach” was used
throughout, meaning that lectures avoided excessive mathematical
and analytical detail, and were furnished with a wealth of real-l
life examples supplemented with easy to understand diagrams.
A secondary course aim was to “fill the gap” between spacecraft
operators and telecommunications designers. Traditionally, designers
cannot think “as operators”, and this course offered participants
an opportunity to use the “spacecraft operator point of view” when
designing a ground station or a telecommunications subsystem of a
spacecraft.
Throughout the course students were introduced to various
spacecraft telecommunications topics, including:
- Signal modulation and demodulation
- Channel coding
- Communication protocols
- Transmission
- Link budget for signal reception, and
- Ground stations.
ESA’s Training and Learning Program is offering several other
training session opportunities in the coming months. They will
cover different fields of ESA expertise, such as Space Debris,
Standardization, Product Assurance, Space Law, and Gravity-Related
Research.
For more information on the program visit:
https://tinyurl.com/ans-055-eas-ladybird
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information.]
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IARU Region 1 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Announced
The Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) program is an IARU Region 1
initiative aimed at engaging youngsters in amateur radio, as well as
supporting amateurs under the age of 26.
The YOTA program is jointly led by Lisa, PA2LS and Tommy, ON2TD,
and organizes a number of projects, including YOTA Month, the IARU
Youth Contesting Program, and the YOTA summer event—which is held
in a different IARU Region 1 country each year. For further
information about YOTA, visit: https://www.ham-yota.com.
The 2019 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) summer camp will be held in
Bulgaria, close to the capital city of Sofia. The Bulgarian
Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA) will be hosting the event, which
will take place from 11-17 August 2019. This is a chance in a
lifetime for young RSGB Members to represent their country and
national society. Find out more at:
https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/yota/yota-2019/
[ANS thanks the RSGB for the above information.]
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This Month in AMSAT History
While starting our Golden Jubilee, it's fun to take a look back at
what has happened over the past fifty years. Here's a peek at some
news items from the archives of "The "AMSAT Journal", aka "Amateur
Satellite Report" aka "AMSAT Newsletter" as it has been named over
the years. Unfortunately our archives are not complete so we
sometimes had to pull some snippets from adjacent issues.
2009
President Barry Baines, WD4ASW announces an Engineering Task Force
to evaluate satellite proposals and to help AMSAT prioritize how it
uses its engineering resources.
AMSAT-NA faces a critical crossroad in its support of international
development of amateur satellites because of various export control
rules, primarily ITAR. Without an acceptable handle on ITAR issues,
AMSAT-NA may be forced to go it alone developing satellites.
Several existing and potential future options for launching Phase 3
satellites are explored. The constantly evolving business environment
for launching secondary payloads is discussed. To be successful
AMSAT and its volunteers must adapt to how satellite projects are
supported and managed.
1999
President Keith Baker, KB1SF discusses finding a safe and affordable
launch for Phase 3D. In addition to Phase 3D there are a number of
new satellites on the drawing boards. Many satellites are underused
now. Make a New Year's resolution to try different satellites and
different modes.
As we approach the year 2000, Roy D. Welch, W0SL reviews items we
need to check out in our computers and software to be sure that date
and time sensitive software will function after January 1st.
Concern is expressed over the large number of nanosats (the size of
basketballs) that are being launched with high risk of leaving space
debris. Also worrisome is the considerable number of university
people who plan on using Amateur Radio frequencies thinking they are
free for use by just anyone.
1987
The long rumored launch of RS-9 and RS-10 is expected in January
1987. RS-5 and RS-7 have survived the long eclipse period but have
sustained further battery damage.
AMSAT President Emeritus Tom Clark, W3IWI received a high honor from
NASA for this work in the field of Very Long Baseline Interferometry.
AO-10 is again providing excellent communications despite fundamental
IHU memory problems. Users are advised to enjoy A)-10 while they can.
March 1974
March celebrates AMSAT's 5th anniversary with membership topping
1,100 dues paying members in 52 countries.
President Perry Klein, K3JTE reports Oscar B is about two months
behind schedule. The launch of Oscar 7 has been rescheduled to July
1974.
Jan King, W3GEY proposes an analog telemetry system for future
satellites to obtain data on functions that vary rapidly with time.
With a year of operating time under their belts, users are beginning
to understand the idiosyncrasies of Oscar 6, such as why it is on
when it should be off.
The latest edition of the Radio Amateur Callbook now includes a
directory of Oscar 6 users.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information.]
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Purchase AMSAT Gear on our Zazzle storefront.
25% of the purchase price of each product goes
towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear
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AMSAT-SA Space Symposium March 16, 2019
Es’hailsat has been one of the major discussions on the agenda of the
AMSAT Space Symposiums over the past two years with Hannes Coetzee,
ZS6BZP providing details of how to set up an inexpensive ground
station.
The subject will again be on the agenda on 16 March 2019 when Hannes
will show the final version of his ground station and make some QSOs
during a live demonstration.
For this alone do not miss the 2019 Space Symposium to be held on
March 16, 2019 in Midrand. There are many other interesting
presentations and demonstrations on the agenda. It is an event not to
be missed. For details and a registration form visit:
www.amsatsa.org.za.
AMSAT SA is also proud to announce that AMSAT SA Space Symposium 2019
is being validated by the SAIEE, as per ECSA Policy, under validation
no. SAIEE- 2479-V
Es’hailsat is the first geostationary satellite to cover Africa,
Europe and the Middle East providing DX opportunities 24 hours per
day. The transponder was built by AMSAT DL in Germany and is being
managed by the Qatar Amateur Radio Society
[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information.]
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HamSCI Workshop Receives National Science Foundation Grant
The HamSCI Workshop March 22 – 23 at Case Western Reserve University
(CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, has received a supporting grant from the
National Science Foundation (NSF). Organized and administered by the
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the conference is hosted
by the CWRU Amateur Radio Club (W8EDU). Registration remains open,
and papers and presentations are invited.
“We are especially looking for speakers with presentations showing
analysis of ionospheric observations, ideas and proposals for the
design of the Personal Space Weather Station and instrumentation for
the 2024 eclipse,” HamSCI’s Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, said. Other
presentations related to Amateur Radio and science also are
welcome. Email abstracts to hamsci ＠ hamsci.org.
The theme for this year’s conference will be “Ionospheric Effects
and Sensing,” including the use of Amateur Radio techniques to
characterize and study ionospheric phenomena. Discussion will include
continued development of the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station
and integration of Amateur Radio into the collegiate curriculum.
Featured speakers will include well-known Amateur Radio author
Ward Silver, N0AX, propagation specialist Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA,
and Larisa Goncharenko, who will talk on Space Science for Ham Radio
Operators. The NSF conference grant from the Geosciences Directorate
will facilitate conference activities and associated logistics.
[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]
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Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Eureka Nunavut (ER60, EQ79) – February 3, - March 29, 2019
Eureka ARC, VY0ERC, will be QRV from Eureka, NU (NA-008), February 3
until March 29, 2019. Time and weather permitting, they expect to be
on the FM satellites from ER60 and EQ79. Announcements will be
posted on Twitter at https://twitter.com/vy0erc.
* Turks and Caicos Islands (FL31) – February 28 - March 9, 2019
Adrian, AA5UK, will be heading to Providenciales in the Turks and
Caicos Islands from Feb 28th through March 9th, 2019. He will be
operating holiday style on HF and Satellites as VP5/AA5UK from grid
FL31UU14. Focus will be on the linear satellites, with some FM
activity depending on pile-up civility. Hope to work some European
stations as location favors the East. Pass announcements will be made
via Twitter: https://twitter.com/AA5UK and periodically via amsat-bb.
[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.]
* Russia and Eastern Europe - February 24 - March 14, 2019
Gabe Harambe, AL6D/VE6NJH is on the first of four flights for another
of his signature trips. This voyage stakes him to Poland (Feb 24-28),
Lithuania (Feb 28-Mar 4), Kaliningrad (Mar 4-7), Saint Petersburg
(Mar 7-11), Åland Islands (Mar 11-13), and Helsinki (Mar 13-14). Gabe
thinks the most desired entities are going to be UA2 and OH0.
Unfortunately OH0 is gonna be quick, arriving in the evening and
leaving in the morning for two nights and one full day). He hopes to
make US contacts from every entity and will try to hit as many grids
as feasible He will have a car in Vilnius and Kaliningrad, but good
transatlantic locations will take precedence over grids. Don't expect
Gabe on every pass. "I'm traveling with family and we'll be doing
touristy stuff, but I'll make my best effort to be on the great AO-7
and FO-29 passes across the ocean. I'm operating ninja portable like
the good ole days, QRP with two FT-817NDs and an arrow, hopefully
that doesn't attract too much negative attention from customs in
Russia." Updates will be on Twitter @AL6D_Alaska.
[ANS thanks Gabe Zeifman, AL6D/VE6NJH/Harambe1 for the
above information.]
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ARISS News
Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of February 19, 2019, 21:30 UTC:
- Huntington High School, Huntington, TX, direct via KI5AJL
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is TBD
Contact is go for Monday February 25, 2019, 19:39:52 UTC 25 degs.
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.]
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AMSAT and ARISS are currently supporting a FundRazr campaign
to raise $150,000 for critical radio infrastructure upgrades
on ISS. The upgrades are necessary to enable students to
continue to talk to astronauts in space via Amateur Radio.
For more information and to DONATE TODAY visit:
https://fundrazr.com/arissnextgen?ref=ab_e7Htwa_ab_47IcJ9
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Satellite Shorts from All Over
* First AMSAT Rover Award for 2019
Congratulation to Casey, KI7UNJ, for earning the first AMSAT Rover
Award for 2019. Number 041.Keep on Rov'in!
[ANS thanks Bruce, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Awards for the above
information.]
* Build your own Space Weather dashboard
Jan van den Berg, PA2P wrote an article on how to build your own
Space Weather Dashboard with NOAA data. The article is about how to
design your own gauges and charts with Space Weather data from NOAA
for your own website, instead of using the existing dashboards.
Jan's article can be viewed at: http://www.pa2p.nl/noaa
[ANS thanks Southgate Amateur Radio News for the above information.]
* ESA Introduces Interactive Nanosatellite Simulator
Through an innovative combination of a plug-and-play test platform
and software, the UK Harwell-based SME is slashing the time it takes
for space missions to be designed and qualified for launch.
Their online ‘beeApp’ software helps define a full space mission
from the ground up, including selection of launchers, ground stations
and satellite size.
Based on those parameters, it runs simulations on the orbits, amount
of power received by the satellite from the sun, and when it can
communicate with the ground. This data is then used to create the
optimal mission profile.
Once that has been decided, their ‘beeKit’ hardware emulates the
size, on-board computer and electrical interfaces of a real
satellite, to facilitate the design and testing of the actual
payloads. When linked, these two tools can simulate the mission in
space, and how the payload will perform.
More information of the program is available at:
https://tinyurl.com/ans-055-esa-beekit
[ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above information.]
* SSO-A Solar Sails Deployed - May be Visible to the Naked Eye
The solar sails on the SSO-A mission "Free Flyer" deployers,
launched December 3, 2018, are believed to have deployed and may now
be quite bright to the naked eye.
The systems were standalone isolated systems with no communications
so there is no telemetry confirmation. Drag parameters from the
TLEs are indicative of a successful deployment, but far from
definitive. The University of Surrey team is waiting for them to
become optically visible in northern latitudes in the next couple
of weeks. Based on the experience with our InflateSail mission,
they expect these objects to be quite bright to the naked eye if
the sails have deployed successfully. InflateSail was 10m2 and
(initially) transparent with a +4.2 mag, whereas these sails are
16m2 and metalized so could well flare brightly.
Any observations made by the community of either of these objects
would be greatly appreciated and they should make for interesting
targets. View the complete story at:
https://amsat-uk.org/2019/02/14/sso-a-solar-sails-deployed/
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
* CubeSat Developers Workshop: April 23-25 Adds New Workshops
The CubeSat Developers Workshop to be held at Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo has announced the following additional conferences and
workshops:
- CubeSat Training Course: April 26-27
- CubeSat Astronomy Workshop: April 26-27
- LunarCubes Workshop: April 26
- Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference (ISSC): April 29-30
For more information on these additional workshops and to register,
visit:
http://www.cubesat.org/workshop-information/#conferences-link
[ANS thanks CubeSat for the above information.]
* ISS and Amateur Radio as Art
The impressive artwork “Ten Minute Transmission”, featuring a Kenwood
TS-2000 transceiver and the International Space Station, is on
display at the Tate Gallery in London.
"Ten Minute Transmission" is a sculpture modeled after the
International Space Station. Made of wire and attached to a TS-2000
this sculpture receives radio signals from the airwaves and transmits
them into the gallery space. See the sculpture at:
https://tinyurl.com/ans-055-sculpture
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information.]
* Kyutech is World's No. 1 for University Small Satellite Launches
A space industry report states that Kyutech is the world No. 1
academic operator of small satellites. Bryce Space and Technology
is a company based in northern Virginia in the United States and is
partially funded by NASA it produces reports about the space
industry. It has just released "Smallsats by the Numbers 2018" and in
this report it is stated that Kyutech has launched the highest number
of small satellites among all "academic operators" of the world,
followed by Nanyang Technical University, Singapore; San Jose State
University, USA; and Tsinghua University, China.
Kyutech deployed 5 satellites into orbit in 2018, and 4 will be
launched in 2019. Therefore, by the end of 2019, it is expected that
the small satellite launch tally for Kyutech will reach 18.
[ANS thanks Kyutech Institute of Technology for the above
information.]
* Longer-Lasting Propulsion System Designed for CubeSats
According to Purdue scientists, chemical thrusters used in current
Cubesats can become irreversibly damaged through repeated use,
ultimately giving out before the CubeSat's planned lifespan is
over.
Utilizing a technique known as Low Energy Surface Flashover (LESF),
it creates plasma which is electromagnetically accelerated down a
narrow channel. As the plasma leaves that channel, thrust is
produced.
The whole process uses relatively little energy, with each thrust
pulse lasting less than 100 to 200 nanoseconds (a nanosecond is one
billionth of a second).
Because the pulses are so short, there is very little cumulative
damage to the system. In lab tests, one of the LESF setups was still
operational after more than 1.5 million pulses. More information is
available at: https://newatlas.com/cubesat-lesf-propulsion/58365/
[ANS thanks New Atlas for the above information.]
* Laser “License Plate” Could Improve Identification of Cubesats
A technology using a tiny laser tracker could help resolve one of
the major challenges involved with the launching of cubesats:
identifying individual satellites after their deployment.
The solution developed at Los Alamos is called the Extremely Low
Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI). “A simple blinking light can
be seen from orbit if it’s the right kind of light and it blinks in
the right way and then looked at it with the right kind of detector.
A laser transmits brief pulses of light that encodes the
identification code, but keeps the system’s average power at the
milliwatt level. That signal can be detected on the ground with a
35-centimeter telescope equipped with a narrow spectral filter to
block light at all frequencies other than that the laser transmits
it. More information is available at:
https://tinyurl.com/ans-055-license-plate
[ANS thanks SpaceNews for the above information.]
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73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org
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