[jamsat-news:3735] [ans] ANS-285 - AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletin - October 11, 2020

Frank Karnauskas via ANS ans @ amsat.org
2020年 10月 11日 (日) 09:06:27 JST


AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-285


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:

* AMSAT 2020 Virtual Symposium Schedule Announced 
* UH Satellite Successfully Blasts into Space
* ARISS to Celebrate 20 Years of Ham Radio on the ISS 
* IARU Region 2 Releases 2020 Band Plan Revision
* Two More Astronauts Earn Amateur Radio Licenses
* Upcoming Satellite Operations
* Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-285.01
ANS-285 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 285.01
>From AMSAT HQ KENSINGTON, MD.
October 11, 2020
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-285.01


AMSAT 2020 Virtual Symposium Schedule Announced

The 2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting 
will be held on Saturday, October 17 from 9:00AM CDT - 5:00PM CDT 
(UTC-5). Symposium presentations will be a combination of 
pre-recorded and live video segments along with question and answer 
sessions held via a Zoom meeting.

The Symposium will also  be made available for free live on AMSAT's 
YouTube channel. 

Registered attendees will receive a digital copy of the AMSAT 
Symposium Proceedings and will be entitled to join the Zoom meeting. 
Only registered attendees will be able to participate in the question 
and answer sessions. Registered attendees will also be entered into 
prize drawings. Registration is free and available only for AMSAT 
members. Registration will close on Friday, October 16, 2020 at 
5:00PM CDT.

Register today at https://launch.amsat.org/Events/.

2020 Virtual AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting 
Schedule  - All times Central Daylight Time (UTC-5) 

- 09:00 Opening Remarks 
- 09:15 AMSAT GOLF-TEE System Overview and Development Status 
  Eric Skoog, K1TVV 
- 09:45 GOLF IHU Coordination 
  Burns Fisher, WB1FJ 
- 10:15 GOLF Downlink Coordination 
  Burns Fisher, WB1FJ, and Chris Thompson, AC2CZ/G0KLA
- 10:45 FUNcube Next 
  Phil Ashby, M6IPX, and Graham Shirville, G3VZV 
- 11:15 LunART (Luna Amateur Radio Transponder) 
  Peter Guezlow, DB2OS
- 11:45 CatSat HF Experiment Overview 
  Mike Parker, KT7D, and Chris Walker, K7CKW
- 12:15 Neutron-1 CubeSat 
  University of Hawaii
- 12:45 Break 
- 13:00 AMSAT Education / CubeSat Simulator 
  Alan Johnston, KU2Y 
   - Overview of CubeSat Simulator Project
   - Live or pre-recorded demonstrations of CubeSat Simulator
- 14:00 ARISS / AREx  
  Frank Bauer, KA3HDO 
   - ARISS: 2020 Update 
   - Next Generation Radio System - First Element Operations and 
     Future System Plans 
   - AREx/Lunar Gateway and Other Lunar Opportunities 
- 15:00 AMSAT Engineering Update 
  Jerry Buxton, N0JY 
   - Fox-1 Program Lessons Learned 
   - GOLF Update 
- 16:00 2020 AMSAT Annual General Meeting 
- 17:00 Close of Symposium 

[ANS thanks the AMSAT office for the above information.]

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         Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMSAT office
    is closed until further notice. For details, please visit
  https://www.amsat.org/amsat-office-closed-until-further-notice/

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UH Satellite Successfully Blasts into Space

Neutron-1 successfully launched as part of an International Space 
Station (ISS) resupply mission from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in 
Virginia on Friday, October 2. The small satellite involved more than 
100 University of Hawai'i students, faculty, staff and volunteers, 
and will measure neutrons in space and radiation coming from the Sun. 

Neutron-1 was aboard the ELaNa 31, NG-14 rocket as part of a 
rideshare mission, which included other satellites, and will be in 
space for approximately one year. When astronauts set up the deployer 
pod for launch out of the ISS around mid-November, Hawai'i Space 
Flight Laboratory (HSFL) will continue to be the primary driver for 
the Neutron-1 mission. 

Neutron-1 carries an FM repeater: A downlink on 435.300 MHz and an
uplink on 145.840 MHz have been coordinated.

UH students, faculty, staff and volunteers were able to view the 
rocket launch live on NASA TV and can be viewed on the HSFL website. 

“I am thrilled. This is a great achievement of the University of 
Hawai'i’s Neutron-1 team of students, staff and faculty,” said 
Peter Englert, a Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology 
(HIGP) researcher and principal investigator for the Neutron-1 
mission. “It demonstrates the quality of undergraduate education and 
research in space science and engineering at the university.” 

“This mission development demonstrates that HSFL can deliver flight 
hardware and work collaboratively with other institutions regarding 
NASA planetary exploration,” said Lloyd French, HSFL researcher and 
project manager for the Neutron-1 mission. “Small spacecraft and 
cubesat architectures are the next generation of planetary robotic 
exploration, and HSFL is poised to take advantage of the 
opportunity.” 

This is HSFL’s second completed spacecraft. In 2016, the first 
iteration of the Neutron-1 payload was lost due to a failed 
suborbital rocket that was launched from Wallops Flight Facility. 

“Watching the NG-14 launch from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia 
was an amazing opportunity to reflect how far we have come as a team, 
how many students were impacted by the project, and all of the 
lessons that were learned along the way,” said Amber Imai-Hong, an 
avionics engineer at HSFL and ground station coordinator for the 
Neutron-1 mission. “Watching a rocket ascend to space is always 
amazing, and to know that this leg of the journey is complete was a 
huge relief.” 

The team is now gearing up for mission operations. HSFL will control 
Neutron-1 via the GlobalStar network, and partner with Amateur Radio 
operators to communicate with the satellite through HSFL’s Kaua'i 
Community College Ground Station to receive and send messages to the 
satellite when it is released from ISS in November.

The Neutron-1 project was funded by a NASA EPSCoR Research 
Infrastructure Development award, and the team conveys special thanks 
to the Air Force Research Lab for providing solar cells for the 
project. 

[ANS thanks the University of Hawai'i News 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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ARISS to Celebrate 20 Years of Ham Radio on the ISS 

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will soon 
celebrate 20 years of continuous ham radio operations on the 
International Space Station (ISS). NASA is commemorating the 
milestone with a newly produced infographic highlighting the 
educational contacts via amateur radio between astronaut crew members 
aboard the ISS and students. Over its 20 years, ARISS has supported 
nearly 1,400 scheduled ham radio contacts with schools, student 
groups, and other organizations. 

Planning for ARISS began in 1996 as a cooperative venture among 
national amateur radio and amateur satellite societies, with support 
from their respective space agencies. The ARISS ham radio gear 
actually arrived on the station before the Expedition 1 crew, headed 
by Commander Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL. The FCC issued ham radio call 
sign NA1SS for ISS operations. After Expedition 1 arrived on station, 
some initial tests with ARISS ham radio ground stations and 
individual hams confirmed the ham gear was working properly. The 
first ARISS school contact was made with students at Luther Burbank 
Elementary School in Illinois on December 21, 2000, with Shepherd at 
the helm of NA1SS on the ISS, and ARISS operations team mentor 
Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, guiding the operation on the ground. 

NASA produced a video of students talking with astronaut 
Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, during an ARISS contact in May 2020.

Before and during scheduled ham radio contacts, students, educators, 
parents, and communities learn about space and related technologies, 
and radio communication using amateur radio. ARISS has inspired 
thousands of students, promoting exploration through educational 
experiences spanning science, technology, engineering, the arts, and 
mathematics.

ARISS relies on a large network of amateur radio operator volunteers, 
many associated with radio clubs in the communities where students 
and groups participating in the contact reside. ARISS volunteers 
support satellite ground stations, serve as technical mentors, and 
provide additional help in the areas of education, community 
outreach and public relations.

While student-to-astronaut radio contacts are a primary objective for 
ARISS, the capability has also inspired further experimentation for 
Amateur Radio in space and evaluation of new technologies. In 
September, ARISS announced that the initial element of its next-
generation ham radio system had been installed in the ISS Columbus 
module. The new radio system replaces equipment originally certified 
for spaceflight in mid-2000. The onboard ham station also provides a 
contingency communications system for the ISS crew. Several 
astronauts have also enjoyed using NA1SS to make casual contacts 
with — and delighting — earthbound members of the ham radio 
community. 

In the US, ARISS sponsors include ARRL, AMSAT, and NASA, the ISS 
National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications 
and Navigation program. Global organizing partners include 
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-societies as well as 
AMSAT organizations, and space agencies in Canada, Europe, Russia, 
Japan, and elsewhere.

The next proposal window for US schools and educational organizations 
to host an amateur radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS 
opened on October 1 for contacts that would take place from July 
through December 2021.

Like many educators who have coordinated ARISS radio contacts for 
their students, teacher Rita Wright, KC9CDL, an ARRL member, 
described the first ARISS school contact as inspirational and having 
a lasting impact on their community. Five months after their contact, 
nearly 500 students greeted Bill Shepherd when he visited Luther 
Burbank School. Wright said it was “like tossing a pebble into a 
stream.”

“The ripple effects are still occurring, and I suspect will continue 
to occur for a long time,” she said. “We have a young staff, and 
witnessing these events has inspired some to look for other 
interdisciplinary projects. They are beginning their dream. Many of 
our students are looking forward to careers associated with the 
space industry.” 

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]

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AMSAT's GOLF Program is about getting back to higher orbits, and it
all begins with GOLF-TEE - a technology demonstrator for deployable
solar panels, propulsion, and attitude control. Come along for the
ride. The journey will be worth it!

                  https://tinyurl.com/ANS-GOLF

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IARU Region 2 Releases 2020 Band Plan Revision

International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) — the Americas — 
has released the September 2020 revision of its Band Plan and made 
procedural changes to shorten the time to reflect future adjustments. 
The Band Plan includes a change approved at the October 2019 General 
Assembly to add an Amateur Satellite uplink subband, 21.125 to 
21.450 MHz, on a non-exclusive basis. This matches similar changes 
in the Region 1 and Region 3 band plans. 

A number of administrative changes have been made to the text, 
although the Band Plan itself has not been modified. These changes 
include:

- Modifications to the wording of the Band Plan to ensure that 
national regulators understand it is a voluntary document, and that 
countries may depart from the plan based on national requirements.

- Definitions additions: Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF), 
primary service, secondary service, and several acronyms.

- Inclusion of information detailing the primary and secondary users 
in each amateur radio allocation band. 

- Correction of minor typographical errors.

At its May 2020 meeting, the IARU R2 Executive Committee added text 
to the Standard Operating Procedures that provides a process for the 
Band Plan to be updated in a more timely manner. Prior to this 
change, Band Plan modifications could only be approved at a General 
Assembly, held once every 3 years. Under the new provision, the Band 
Planning Committee may circulate proposed changes to member-societies 
with the approval of the Executive Committee. “Should no more than 
one objection be received within a 60-day period, the change shall be 
deemed accepted and reported as such at the next conference,” the 
Band Planning Committee’s terms of references state.

The IARU R2 Band Planning Committee has a member from each of the 
seven areas in Region 2, and one of those members also serves as the 
committee’s chair. The current Committee Chair is Alphonse Penney, 
VO1NO/VA1AVR. 

[ANS thanks the ARRL and George Gorsline, VE3YV, IARU Region 2 
Secretary for the above information.]

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Two More Astronauts Earn Amateur Radio Licenses

Although the lockdown of Johnson Space Center (JSC) postponed Amateur 
Radio training and licensing over the past seven months, NASA ISS 
Ham Project Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, was able to work with 
all of the new astronaut-class graduates, as well as offer some 
refresher courses with already-licensed astronauts. Licensed 
astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may operate the 
on-station ham radio equipment without restrictions. 

Astronauts often participate in Amateur Radio on the International 
Space Station (ARISS) contacts with schools and groups on Earth. 

NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron, who completed her introductory course 
in June and received basic ham radio operations training in late 
September, recently tested and received the call sign KI5LAL. 

European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer passed his Amateur 
Radio exam on July 30, and he got his basic ham operations training 
in July. He now is KI5KFH. 

Astronauts Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD, and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, 
completed the refresher course earlier this year. Two other new 
astronauts are in the queue to take the Technician license exam.

[ANS thanks the ARRL and Rosalie White, K1STO for the above
information.]

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    Need new satellite antennas? Purchase Arrows, Alaskan Arrows,
   and M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store. When you purchase through
          AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
                 Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
           https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

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Upcoming Satellite Operations

- JQ78, October 7–12, 2020 
JW7XK (or maybe LA7XK) will be active on RS-44 on as many passes as 
possible. His focus is to work NA and maybe JA, when/if it is 
possible. Link frequency 435.660 +/- Doppler.

- JN15jo, October 19, 2020
Jerome, F4DXV, is planning to be on RS-44 beginning at 20:00 UTC 
specifically for North America. The footprint covers much of eastern 
NA. This is a difficult operation after dark and Jerome hopes that 
many will take advantage of the opportunity to work this very rare 
grid. RS-44 will bee around 1430km. 

- CN98/DN08, October 12, 2020
@AD0DX until Sunday. Holiday style.

- DN17/DN18 Line, October 12, 2020
@AD0DX and @KI7JPC and maybe @KI7UXT.

- DN13, DN23, DN22, October 16-19, 2020
@KI7UNJ, no pass list, follow him on twitter. 
October 16 on the DN13/23 Line. 
October 17 in DN22. 
October 18 in DN22. 
October 19 on the DN13/23 line.

- FN44/FN54, October 11-16, 2020
KQ2RP will be on FM birds from FN54 with occasional FN44/54 line. 
FN53 is possible. Logging as KQ2RP/1.

DK78/ DK79, October 12, 2020 
@XE1HG will be holiday style on FM and maybe some linears.

EL Grids, October 10-14, 2020 
@N1PEB
October 10 in EL95 Key Largo. 
October 11 in EL94 Key West. 
October 12 in EL84 Dry Tortuga. 
October 13 in EL94 Key West. 
October 14 TBD.

[ANS thanks Paul Overn, KE0PBR for the above information.]

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Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

Clint Bradford K6LCS has booked his “Work the FM Voice Satellites 
with Minimal Equipment” presentation for the clubs.  The next Zoom 
presentation is on October 27, 2020 for the Cherryland ARC/Traverse 
Bay ARC.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL for the above information.] 

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   AMSAT, along with our ARISS partners, is developing an amateur
   radio package, including two-way communication capability, to
           be carried on-board Gateway in lunar orbit.

   Support AMSAT's projects today at https://www.amsat.org/donate/

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ARISS News

* Completed Contacts

Gagarin From Space Radio Amateur Session With Students Of The 
International Aerospace School At Amgu Blagoveshchensk, 
Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia direct via RKØJ. 
The ISS callsign was RSØISS. 
The astronaut was Anatoli Ivanishin.  

The contact was successful on September 28, 2020 at 08:48 UTC. 

* Upcoming Contacts 

Ramona Lutheran School, Ramona, CA, direct via N6ROR.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS. 
The scheduled astronaut is Chris Cassidy KF5KDR. 
Contact is go for: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 16:26:13 UTC.

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N for the above information.]

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Shorts from All Over 

* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 8, 2020

Update on decaying satellites:

 - The decay epoch predicted by Space-Track for EnduroSat One - 
   Cat ID 43551 is 2020-10-15. 

 - The decay epoch predicted by Space-Track for MO-106 - 
   Cat ID 44830 is 2020-10-09. 
   Decay has occurred or is eminent.
 

[ANS thanks Ray Hoad, WA5QGD for the above information.]


* Next Rocket Lab Launch Window Starts October 20, 2020 UTC 

'In Focus' is a rideshare mission to low Earth orbit for Planet and 
Spaceflight Inc.’s customer Canon Electronics. The mission will 
deploy a total of 10 satellites to precise and individual orbits 
from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The 
scheduled launch time is 21:14 UTC. Full details can be seen at 
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/.

[ANS thanks Terry Osborne, ZL2BAC for the above information.]


* British Columbia Radio Amateur Hears Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

According to a Spaceweather.com report, Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, in 
British Columbia, Canada, received a signal from the NASA Mars 
Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), flying just 274 kilometers (about 170 
miles) above the red planet’s surface. The signal was an X-band 
carrier containing no data or telemetry.

“Its purpose is to allow for Doppler tracking,” Tilley explained. 
“The rapid change in pitch of the signal is caused by the relative 
motion of the satellite and the observer.” He used a homemade 
satellite dish to hear the orbiter.

Tilley enjoys tracking down signals from “dead” satellites, zombie 
satellites, and spy satellites, but the MRO was a first for him. 
“MRO’s signal is weak, but it is one of the louder signals in Mars 
orbit,” he said. “The spacecraft has a large dish antenna it uses as 
a relay for other Mars missions. With the proximity of Mars these 
days, it was the perfect time to try.”

In 2018, Tilley saw the “signature” of the Imager for Magnetopause-
to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE), a NASA spacecraft believed to 
have died in 2005. That discovery delighted space scientists. 

[ANS thanks the ARRL for the above information.]


* Rocket Lab CEO Warns of Space Junk

In 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler warned of a potential 
catastrophic, cascading chain reaction in outer space. Today known 
as "Kessler Syndrome," the theory posited that space above Earth 
could one day become so crowded, so polluted with both active 
satellites and the detritus of space explorations past, that it 
could render future space endeavors more difficult, if not 
impossible.

Last week, the CEO of Rocket Lab, a launch startup, said the 
company is already beginning to experience the effect of growing 
congestion in outer space.  Read the complete story at:
https://tinyurl.com/ANS-285-Space-Junk

[ANS thanks CNN for the above information.]

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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.

Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at
one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the 
student rate for a maximum of six post-secondary years in this 
status.

Contact Martha at the AMSAT office for additional student 
membership information.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw at amsat dot org

Sent via AMSAT-BB @ amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum 
available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring 
membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author 
and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.

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