****************************************************************************** * AMSAT NA News Service Bulletins * * NEWS051 20Feb88 * * [ Copyright 1988 by AMSAT NA, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ] * * [ Permission is granted for unlimited redistribution by electronic or ] * * [ other means provided credit is given to AMSAT NA News Service (ANS). ] * * [ Edited for AMSAT NA by WA2LQQ. ] * * [ (N)=New story; (U)=Updated story; (R)=Reprieved story ] * * [ This edition was forwarded by the W0RPK-AMSAT Bulletin Board System ] * * [ operating on 515-961-3325 24-hours Ralph Wallio, W0RPK SYSOP ] * ****************************************************************************** Headlines: 1.(N) Surrey To Build New UoSAT For 1988 Launch 2.(N) Skitrek Progress Report #4 3.(N) Next Ariane Launch Now March 11 4.(N) Three Satellites Lost As Soviet Rocket Misfires 5.(N) New FO-12 Operating Schedule Announced 6.(N) Short Bursts ****************************************************************************** 1.(N) Surrey To Build New UoSAT For 1988 Launch The UoSAT Spacecraft Engineering Research Unit at the University of Surrey (UK) is now building a third UoSAT OSCAR spacecraft: UoSAT-C. NASA has agreed to provide a launch for UoSAT-C on a DELTA launch vehicle currently scheduled for late 1988. The DELTA should place UoSAT-C into a 43 degree inclination, 500 km circular orbit. UoSAT-C will carry experimental engineering, science and communications payloads developed in close collaboration between international professional engineering and Amateur Radio communities. These payload experiments develop further the mission objectives supported by the highly-successful UoSAT-1 & 2 (UoSAT OSCAR-9 and UoSAT OSCAR-11) satellites which are still operational after six and four years in orbit respectively. The UoSAT Program and series of satellites are intended to complement the AMSAT OSCAR, RS and FUJI OSCAR Amateur Radio communications satellites. They provide a space science and engineering facility readily available to both amateur and professional experimenters. Greater mutual awareness and collaboration are thus promoted. In common with prior UoSAT missions, UoSAT-C will have a strong element of international collaboration - specifically with members of AMSAT-UK, AMSAT-NA in the US and Canada, VITA, Quadron, NASA, the British National Space Center and the European Space Agency. UoSAT C will carry a variety of payloads. Here is a summary: Store-&-Forward Communications: UoSAT-C will carry the PACSAT Communications Experiment (PCE). The PCE will be openly accessible to Radio Amateurs operating in the 2m and 70cm bands (Mode-J). VITA is seeking additional frequency allocations outside the amateur bands to allow limited use of the UoSAT-C PCE by VITA ground stations in remote areas to provide technical assistance and disaster relief. Radiation Studies Experiments: Microprocessor-controlled payloads such as the PCE cannot be built without VLSI semiconductors and most recent and affordable VLSI devices have not yet been tested for space use. UoSAT-C will host several experimental payloads studying the effects of the space radiation environment on VLSI devices: Cosmic Particle Experiment; CCD Single Event Upset Experiment; Total Dose Experiment. Satellite Technology Experiments: UoSAT-C will carry a range of satellite technology experiments associated with power systems, on-board data handling, attitude determination, control & stabilization and RF modulation. Like UO-9 and UO-11, UoSAT OSCAR-C will support a world-wide user community of engineers, scientists, educators and communicators. If all goes according to plan, UO-C will provide spacecraft housekeeping telemetry, long-term telemetry surveys, results from on-board experiments, news bulletins and communications facilities on a single downlink through packet-radio techniques. Surrey will finalize and publish communications modem and protocol details as soon as possible, to allow ground stations to equip themselves. Whilst numerous international teams are already collaborating on UO-C, UoSAT is interested in hearing from others interested in possible collaboration, especially in the area of user ground station support. Further details of UoSAT-C plans may be found in a future ASR. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2.(N) Skitrek Progress Report #4 Preparations for the Transpolar Skitrek Expedition are moving into high gear both in Russia and in Canada. The Canadian skiers have traveled north to Dixon and Severnaya Zemlya for final training. Dr. Matthew Buxton and Christopher Holloway, the last two Canadian skiers chosen, have not trained with the Russian skiers before so this period is critical for them. Dr. Dimitri Shparo, expedition leader, will be taking a close look at all skiers' readiness and physical condition before announcing the final eleven to fourteen person group to make the trek. In Canada, Tom Atkins, VE3CDM/VE8CDM, Barry Garrat, VE3CDX/VE8CDX and Bill Hardie, VE3EFX are preparing to make the long plane trip on February 23rd from Montreal to Resolute Bay, N.W.T., the Canadian Communications Support Base. The donated ICOM HF transceivers are now being checked out prior to their installation at Resolute. Tom and Barry will be returning south as soon as the station is in operation to prepare for Barry's and Rick Burke's trip to Russia, again carrying along ICOM HF gear for the Russian Support Bases at Severnaya Zemlya and the Ice Island North Pole 28. Andy McLellan, VE1ASJ, who will be operating the Support Base from March 4th through March 19th, reports that he will be working through the Amateur Radio Satellite RS 10/11 while at Resolute. Watch for more on this in the next Progress Report. Resolute Support Base operators will be keeping a weather log for us which will periodically appear in future progress reports. Barry and Rick will keep similar logs for us as well. Since information will be scant from the skiers we can infer their weather by interpolating information we receive from Resolute, North Pole 28 and Severnaya Zemlya. Rick will be traveling to Severnaya Zemlya the first week in March and Barry will be leaving the second week in April for North Pole 28. This week, the Digitalker on UoSAT OSCAR 11 is again being tested in accord with the schedule presented in Progress Report #1. The message says: "Hi! Hi! 73 from UoSAT 2. See you again. 32NL." 32NL is, of course, a possible way of saying 32 degrees north latitude. Perhaps the easiest and most effective way of receiving the Digitalker is with an HT and whip antenna that can be freely oriented for best reception. Lengthy periods of nearly full-quieting signal can be obtained when the satellite is only 25 degrees above your horizon. You can receive a UoSAT QSL card by sending your detailed report of Digitalker reception to: UoSAT Spacecraft Engineering Research Unit, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH, England. The CRRL is only QSL'ing contacts with Resolute as reported in Progress Report #3. A continuing series of Progress Reports may be accessed via packet BBS, AMSAT Nets and the main educator source, the W0RPK AMSAT Bulletin Board (1-515-961-3325). Comments and questions about the reports should be addressed to Rich Ensign, 421 N. Military, Dearborn, MI 48124, U.S.A. These reports are prepared by Dick, N8IWJ. Progress Report #5 will be issued on February 26, 1988. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3.(N) Next Ariane Launch Now March 11 According to Arianespace, the next launch from Kourou, French Guiana, will be the V-21 mission now scheduled for launch March 11. The launch was most recently scheduled for March 4 but was slipped one week to allow for modification of one of the payload satellites. TVSAT-2 will be modified in an effort to prevent recurrence of problems experienced in orbit by TVSAT-1 launched last November 21 aboard Arianespace's V-20 mission. One of the solar panels on TVSAT-1 has failed to deploy severely hampering its operation and throwing the anticipated direct broadcast satellite business in Europe into disarray. AMSAT's Phase 3C is aboard the V-22 mission which appears on track for a late May or early June launch. Launch activities of V-21 and V-22 can proceed essentially independent of each other since they will be launched from different pads. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4.(N) Three Satellites Lost As Soviet Rocket Misfires With Soviet officials pressing commercial launch opportunities aboard their Proton rocket for all paying customers, what they didn't need was another launch failure. Unfortunately that's just what they got February 18 when the third Proton failure in 13 months took three satellites to an early demise. Some debris reportedly reentered near Australia. The failure has been attributed to a faulty fourth stage. The fourth stage was also cited as the cause for the prior two losses. As embarrassing as the failure is, however, space analysts say it is of no major consequence since low earth orbiting satellites don't require the defective fourth stage. The satellites lost last week were being lofted into a higher orbit and were believed to be navigation type satellites. Moreover, Glavcosmos, the Soviet commercial launch managing agency recently announced a West German concern has signed up for three materials processing flights beginning in 1989. Commercial inroads by Glavcosmos are expected to be unaffected by this latest Proton failure says James Oberg, a leading American space authority. The Soviet has been trying to market its launch services in the U.S. through a Houston firm and has been advertising recently in Aviation Week magazine. Meanwhile, the Chinese Long March launcher has apparently captured the interest of Australian authorities who are reportedly discussing launch of future Australian communications satellites with the Chinese. With the U.S. now emphasizing its re-emerging expendable launchers with a number of new commercial ventures, the European Space Agency again picking up momentum, the Soviets and Chinese competing for customers, the picture that is emerging is one of fierce competition for launch customers in the waning years of this decade and beyond. The question seems to be if a launch capacity surplus will emerge in the next few years much as a C-Band satellite capacity emerged a few years ago. AMSAT's prospects for a Phase 4 satellite would obviously be enhanced with a launch capacity surplus. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5.(N) New FO-12 Operating Schedule Announced JARL has announced the new FO-12 operating schedule as follows: Mode From (UTC) -------------------- [Net stations may JA Feb 20 08:27 present as many lines D 22 04:35 of this schedule as JD* 25 03:55 seems appropriate] JD 25 10:05 DI 26 07:06 JD 27 08:15 DI 28 07:20 JD Mar/ 1 05:31 DI 2 04:36 JD 5 01:53 D 6 03:01 JA 8 01:13 D 9 04:25 JA 12 01:41 D 14 01:55 JD 17 05:22 DI 18 06:30 JD 19 03:33 DI 20 04:42 JD 21 03:47 DI 22 04:55 JD 23 04:01 DI 24 05:09 JD 26 03:21 D 27 04:28 JA 30 01:46 D 31 02:54 Mode JA : Linear Transponder Mode JD : Mailbox Mode D : Charging mode Mode DI : Charging mode with CPU/MEMORY kept ON The transponders will be off at other times. This schedule may be changed at any time due to unexpected power situations. ** Note: On February 25 from 3:55 through 5:57 UTC, a special telemetry software package will be loaded to permit telemetry transmission every 2 seconds instead of every minute. No mailbox functions will be available during this period but the digipeater will be operational. Reports of received telemetry will be appreciated. Please send them to JARL(JJ1ZUT) via the FO-12 mailbox. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 6.(N) Short Bursts NASA's space program will get a substantial boost in the 1989 federal budget submitted by President Reagan to the Congress last week. Included in the $11.5 billion for NASA is about $1 billion for a space station and $2 billion for space shuttle flights and a new orbiter to replace the lost Challenger. *** Mir watchers in the Denver area report having seen a close companion to the Russian Mir space station February 9 according to AMSAT Regional Coordinator Jack Crabtree, AA0P. At first it was thought the companion was a Progress cargo ship but this has been disputed. A strong glint from the Mir companion lasting 1 to 2 seconds may indicate solar panels and slow rotation. Meanwhile the National Space Society has established a "Mir Watch" hotline which provides observation window predictions for major cities. The telephone number is 202-546-6010. ***************************************************************************** RECENT NEWS IN REVIEW ===================== Headlines: 7.(R) Short Bursts ****************************************************************************** 7.(R) Short Bursts AMSAT OSCAR 10 was withdrawn from service on February 6 due to poor performance attributed to sagging sun angles. Severe FMing of the passband had been noticed for several days prior to the decision to shut it down. AO-10 will return to service in approximately three months. *** AMSAT Technical Journal Editor Bob Diersing, N5AHD, says Volume 2 of the Journal is about to go to press. Advance order reservations may be placed with AMSAT HQ now. *** On January 19th, a proposal, jointly prepared by AMSAT and ARRL, was filed with NASA for Amateur Radio's participation on the Space Station to be built in the 1990s. In related news, the ARRL Board of Directors recently resolved to upgrade its level of effort on the SSAR project and has assigned a staff person to work with AMSAT's VP for Manned Space, Bill Tynan, W3XO. *****************************************************************************