
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0228
* SpaceNews 28-Feb-94 *
 
BID: $SPC0228
 
 
                               =========
                               SpaceNews
                               =========
 
 
                        MONDAY FEBRUARY 28, 1994
 
 
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA.  It is
published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution.
 
 
* 137 MHz WXSAT NEWS * 
======================
     NOAA POLAR ORBITING SATELLITES                      FREQUENCY
 
[X]  NOAA-09  Transmitting normal APT VIS/IR            137.620 MHz
[X]  NOAA-10  Transmitting normal APT VIS/IR            137.500 MHz
[X]  NOAA-11  Transmitting normal APT VIS/IR            137.620 MHz
[X]  NOAA-12  Transmitting normal APT VIS/IR            137.500 MHz
[ ]  NOAA-13  Inactive                                  137.620 MHz
     Note: The NOAA Command Center has lost control of this satellite, and 
     the recovery attempts have been suspended.
 
   METEOR SERIES SPACECRAFT                              FREQUENCY
 
[ ]  METEOR 2-16 Inactive                               137.850 MHz
[ ]  METEOR 2-17 Inactive                               137.850 MHz
[ ]  METEOR 2-18 Inactive                               137.850 MHz
[ ]  METEOR 2-19 Inactive                               137.850 MHz
[ ]  METEOR 2-20 inactive                               137.850 MHz
[X]  METEOR 2-21 Transmitting Normal APT VIS            137.850 MHz
     Note: Satellite not heard during night passes.
 
[ ]  METEOR 3-2  Inactive                               137.300 MHz
[X]  METEOR 3-3  Transmitting Normal APT VIS            137.300 MHz
     Note: Satellite not heard during night passes.
 
[ ]  METEOR 3-4  Inactive                               137.300 MHz
[X]  METEOR 3-5  Transmitting Normal APT VIS            137.300 MHz
     Note: Satellite not heard during night passes.
 
[Info via HP2DFA] 
 
 
* HF PBBS UPDATE *
================== 
The WT0N-3 HF Packet Radio BBS in St. Paul, MN on 10.127 MHz now also
supports PACTOR communications under the callsign of WT0N.  The BBS is 
available for packet operations Monday through Saturday from 1600 UTC until 
2300 UTC.  PACTOR operations are currently scheduled during the hours of 
23:30 UTC and 04:00 UTC.  The system carries all AMSAT bulletins and 
Keplerian data for OSCAR satellites.  It also carries other satellite 
related items such as "SpaceNews".
 
The BBS is currently set up as an experiment.  Comments and suggestions
should be directed to the sysop, BJ Arts at any one of the following
addresses:
 
Packet: WT0N@WB0GDB.#STP.MN.USA.NOAM
Internet: BJARTS@STTHOMAS.EDU
HF PACKET: WT0N-3 (ON 30 METERS)
HF PACTOR: WT0N
 
[Info via WT0N] 
 
 
* RS-15 NEWS *
==============
According to reliable sources close to the project, a launch date for RS-15
has still not been firmed up, and the official presentation before the 
Russian Space Agency has been delayed until 20-Mar-94.
 
The following is some data pertaining to the transponder carried on RS-15
and its orbital charateristics:
 
uplink:   145.857 - 145.897 MHz
downlink:  29.351 -  29.397 MHz
beacon     29.398 MHz..........P = 0.4/1.2 W
beacon     29.353 MHz..........P = 0.4/1.2 W
antenna........................1/4 wavelength
height.........................2,300 km
inclination....................67 degrees
 
[Info via Gustavo, LW2DTZ]
 
 
* OSCAR TALK AT BERKELEY *
==========================
On Thursday, March 3rd, at 7:30 PM, Professor Robert Twiggs of Stanford's
newly formed small satellite department will be giving a talk about their
amateur radio based satellite program.  Professor Twiggs's extensive
background in amateur satellites at Weber State University included OSCAR
WO-18 and NUSAT I.  His positive experience with including OSCAR activities
in the education curriculum has led him to establish a program at Stanford.
He hopes to get faculty, staff, students and local volunteer engineers
to work together in a similar manner as was done at WSU to design, build,
launch and operate microsatellites at Stanford.  Professor Twiggs will be
discussing possible payloads for Stanford's amateur satellites and science
payloads for the larger buses that they would like to build.
 
The talk will be held in downtown Berkeley, CA at UCB's Center for EUV
Astrophysics, 2150 Kittredge Street.  The CEA is between Shattuck and
Oxford Streets, diagonally across from the California Cinema.
 
A tour of the CEA, including the Science Operations Center for NASA's
Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite (EUVE), will be available for
those arriving at 7:00 PM.
 
Will Marchant                   Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics
marchant@cea.berkeley.edu       University of California
KC6ROL@N0ARY                    2150 Kittredge St., Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
 
 
* FO-20 SCHEDULE *
==================
The FO-20 command station announced that a slight malfunction in the onboard 
command system had been detected.  As a result, analog mode operation 
arranged from 09-Feb-94 will be performed on schedule, but there is a 
possibility of interruption due to satellite ground station control.
 
The present schedule is as announced before:
       
Analog mode:
             09-Feb-94 07:15 -to- 16-Feb-94 07:40 UTC
             23-Feb-94 08:05 -to- 02-Mar-94 06:40 UTC
             09-Mar-94 07:05 -to- 16-Mar-94 07:30 UTC
             23-Mar-94 07:52 -to- 30-Mar-94 08:15 UTC
 
Digital mode: Unless otherwise noted above.
 
[Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK]
 
 
* SpaceNews VIA SATELLITE *
===========================
SpaceNews distribution via the Amateur Packet Radio Network has been
improved recently with the help of high-speed "Pacsat" satellites.  These
polar orbiting satellites now make SpaceNews available to every inch of the 
planet several times daily at 9600 bps.  My sincere thanks to W3QNS for 
uploading copies of SpaceNews to the KITSAT OSCAR-23 satellite and making
them available for all KO-23 satellite users.
 
 
* CONGRATULATIONS! *
====================
Congratulations to Jeff Ward, G0/K8KA, who recently earned his Doctorate 
degree.  Jeff has been instrumental in the design of not only OSCAR 
satellite hardware, but also the ground station software that is used for 
Pacsat communications.  His work has had a great impact on emerging
microsatellite and digital communications technology, and we all look
forward to working with him in future satellite projects and in expanding
the communications resources available to Amateur Radio operators worldwide.
 
 
* THANKS! *
===========
Thanks to all those who sent QSL cards, letters, and messages of 
appreciation regarding SpaceNews, especially:
 
           N2HZK         KB5ROV          EI6EH         G8INE
 
 
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Mail to SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any
of the following paths:
 
FAX      : 1-908-747-7107
PACKET   : KD2BD @ N2KZH.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@ka2qhd.ocpt.ccur.com  -or- kd2bd@amsat.org
 
MAIL     : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
           Department of Engineering and Technology
           Advanced Technology Center
           Brookdale Community College
           Lincroft, New Jersey  07738
           U.S.A.
 
 
       <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> 
 
/EX
