SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.01 Ariane Launcher Tribute HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.01 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Prolog: Ariane, Ode To A Gracious European Lady (A personal tribute by WA2LQQ) As millions around the world held their breath, focused their eyes and ears, the countdown approached zero. The center of focus stood solemnly on the edge of a jungle whose floor was only recently carpeted with concrete and steel. A 20-story tall rocket called Ariane, occasionally belching puffs of frosty fumes hundreds of degrees colder than the morning air, was about to confront her destiny. And on her wings rode the hopes and aspirations of nations and of individuals; of huge industrial consortia and of solitary craftsman. But then the waiting was over. As if released from a huge bow, this metallic arrow with her precious cargo at first strained and then, with a burst of exhilaration at being unshackled, leaped into the azure sky over the Atlantic. Ariane-4 was on her way leaving behind a writhing quilt of orange-black and white as if millions of tropical bird feathers had been loosed by the fury of her voice and these were now plying the air currents on their way to the sea. It was obvious from the start there was a lot at stake here. But as each mission milestone was checked off it became clear that this was a true arrow indeed. Second by second, minute by minute she climbed to the very ends of the earth. Looking back, she must have thought it all worthwhile, these years in becoming. Now that she WAS, these 20 minutes fulfilling her destiny were profoundly satisfying. And before most realized it, it WAS time. One by one the golden boxes were gently placed in their ethereal hammocks. Having done her job, it was time to go. Ariane, this gracious European lady, turned and faded from view. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.02 AR World Celebrates New OSCAR HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.02 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Amateur Radio is celebrating the birth of a new star as it welcomes AMSAT OSCAR 13. The newest OSCAR came to life right on schedule last Wednesday after a letter-perfect launch by the new Ariane-4. Elated listeners around the world listened in on an international teleconference network as the launch ticked off every milestone on schedule. Two hours and 50 minutes after launch, AO-13 sprang to life, its first telemetry indicating it was alive and well. The weather was perfect for the launch. Skies over the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana were clear and blue. After a six minute hold, the 20-story tall Ariane-4 three-stage rocket leaped from the jungle floor with its cargo of three communications satellites. Launch time was put at 11:19:04.33 UTC or just over 6 minutes into the first of two launch windows. Performance of the launcher was apparently perfect and the planned trajectory was followed with negligible deviations. Twenty minutes into the mission, Meteosat was the first satellite to be deployed followed 4 seconds later by Phase 3C in its canister. Finally, Panamsat sprang from the SPELDA and it too became a new earth satellite. But it would be another 60 minutes before AO-13 would be officially born. For a full hour it rode within its metallic cocoon; the cylindrical carrying structure. Then, at exactly 12:39:04 UTC, Phase 3C was ejected from the carrying structure and officially became AO-13. This sequence was not instrumented but can be inferred as occurring on time by other circumstantial evidence. It would, however, remain unknown for another hour and a half that the ejection had taken place OK. The stage was set. AO-13 was then at 27,000 km altitude over the Indian Ocean. Would the beacon be heard as expected? At precisely 14:03:38 UTC the new babe uttered its first telemetry. This was immediately acquired by listeners across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. AO-13 was not only BORN but unequivocal in its birth cries. It was alive, well and anxious to tell the world of its existence. ZL1AOX reported the beacon on 145.812 MHz steady and strong. The telemetry values showed all important parameters were "on the money". The temperature was about 10 degrees C. Power was good. Spin was 7.9 rpm. Pressure in the Helium tank was nominal. In general, this was a very healthy baby indeed! Soon, more reports of AO-13 telemetry reception began to arrive. JA1ANG and JAMSAT colleagues in Japan had AOS at 14:03:55. ZS6AKV and colleagues in SA AMSAT had AOS virtually at the same moment. Throughout the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, AO-13's footprint spread north and west and then blossomed as apogee was approached. By 1700 UTC, much of central Europe was in the footprint. Soon DB2OS would obtain AOS. He was to initiate the first commands, previously stored in the IHU, to begin re-orienting the spacecraft and start the spin-up to an intermediate attitude on the way to the first kick motor firing attitude scheduled to be accomplished by next Wednesday, June 22. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.03 Trackers Quickly ID New OSCAR HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.03 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT Thanks to the teamwork of AMSAT and government engineers and analysts, the constellation of objects placed into orbit by Ariane V-22 was quickly sorted out. By Friday, June 17, all concerned were convinced they had identified AO-13 and assigned it catalog number 83805. Initial tracking data was available within an hour of launch as the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA and various government radars around the world quickly acquired and tracked the Ariane payloads Meteosat, Panamsat and AO-13. In addition to the payload satellites, several other objects were in the vicinity: the Ariane third stage; the SPELDA upper section and the cylindrical carrying structure in which AO-13 has been enclosed. Using various analytical techniques such as spin rate and radar cross section, analysts had a pretty good idea by Thursday which objects were which. Then on Thursday evening both Meteosat and Panamsat fired their kick motors and left the vicinity of the remaining objects. Working with AMSAT's own ranging system, command stations began ranging Thursday. Using the values obtained, Phil Karn, KA9Q, was able to get a good match between AMSAT's ranging data and the ephemeris supplied by the Millstone Hill radar. This confirmed earlier suspicions that analysts had correctly pegged the new OSCAR almost right from the start. AMSAT's ranging team makes precise orbital determinations by measuring the transit time of pulses sent to and returned from the satellite. Here is the most recent Keplerian element set for AO-13: Satellite: OSCAR-13 Catalog number: 83805 Epoch time: 88169.40 Element set: Q-3 Inclination: 10.038 deg RA of node: 244.288 deg Eccentricity: 0.7309529 Arg of perigee: 179.622 deg Mean anomaly: 118.878 deg Mean motion: 2.2578838 rev/day Decay rate: 0 rev/day^2 Epoch rev: 4 /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.04 Launch Coverage Blankets Earth HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.04 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT An unprecedented network of Amateur Radio and commercial telecommunications facilities brought a special sense of poignancy and moment to the launch of Phase 3C last week. Hundreds of thousands of Amateurs in every region of the world were tuned in to hear the countdown and then the good news of AO-13's birth. The AMSAT Launch Information Network Service used leased telephone lines to link together major HF facilities in the U.S. and overseas. Re-transmission from nodes in England (G3RWL), Argentina (LU1AHC), Japan (JA1ANG), Southern Africa (ZS6AKV) and others provided excellent coverage to all continents. In the U.S., W1AW, W6VIO, WA3NAN and W5RRR did yeoman duty in blanketing the ionosphere with launch audio. AO-10 was in ideal position to relay news of the launch to the Western Hemisphere and Europe. Hundreds listened in on the downlink of 145.957 MHz provided by WA2LQQ. Audio feeds from NASA mission communications, Kourou and nodal managers such as JA1ANG and LU1AHC added a realism and scope to the event. Video broadcasts on SPACENET 1 and Galaxy 3, together with CATV coverage on C-SPAN allowed many to obtain multi-media coverage of the launch all in real-time. Other outlets for the ALINS network included dozens of VHF and UHF repeaters around the country and around the world. Those overseas were typically fed by the major overseas nodes via landline or by patch from excellent HF feeds from W1AW and the other HF stations on board. Congratulations and enthusiastic questions swamped AMSAT's phone lines immediately after the launch. A wave of relief and elation seems to have swept over a large portion of the Amateur Radio community many of whom watched or listened to the launch on ALINS and cable. The only sour note was the disappointing C-SPAN programming. The guests were clearly unprepared and had to be coached by the phone-in audience as to factual matters. C-SPAN informally told AMSAT they realized they were in trouble when the scheduled guest could not appear as planned. The AMSAT video tape which had been prepared didn't air either. AMSAT officials called that a "disappointment" and an "opportunity missed" but said they understood the pressures of broadcasting. Nevertheless, coverage by Arianespace on SPACENET 1 was superb. Excellent graphic depictions of major flight milestones were presented. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, says he got "outstanding" video on 1" studio tapes and will be making 3/4" U-Matic tapes available to the AMSAT Video Tape Library as possible. Tape Librarian Tom Larson, N1CHM, will convert these to VHS for AMSAT member viewing. The technical quality of the ALINS was, in a word, perfect, thanks in large measure to the planning and execution of VP of Operations Ralph Wallio, W0RPK. Ralph had developed a comprehensive ALINS plan and updated it regularly as changes required. Ralph also contracted for the telebridge service, which was simply excellent in all regards and he acted as tech control for the teleconference as well. In sum, it appears this was one of the most effective uses of multi-media telecommunications in Amateur Radio history thanks in large measure to the planning and execution of W0RPK as well as the various coordinating managers around the world. AO-13 ALINS was an outstanding success and was, according to listener Skip Reymann, W6PAJ, "Amateur Radio at its best!" /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.05 AO-13 Motor Firing Imminent HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.05 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AO-13 had no sooner emitted its first telemetry than the command stations were already poking around to see how it was. The scene was reminiscent of a new-born in the hands of the obstetrician: a gentle squeeze here, a little poke there; listen to the cry; sounds like a good one! First telemetry analysis by Ian Ashley, ZL1AOX, just after the General Beacon was activated showed everything was indeed fine. He then tried out the Engineering Beacon and it proved loud and stable too. Then, when AOS was obtained in Germany, Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, working in conjunction with Karl Meinzer, DJ4ZC, checked the telemetry and then activated a command pre-stored in the satellite's computer (IHU). This began the first of a series of about three attitude changes to position the spacecraft for the first kick motor burn. The attitude in Bahn coordinates on Friday was -90 degrees Longitude and -35 degrees Latitude. According to DB2OS, that would be changed to -90/-70 by Saturday and finally to +90/-60 by early in the week. The satellite by then will have been spun up to between 30 and 40 rpm. There is some urgency in getting the first kick motor burn done as soon as possible. The risk is not that the satellite will de-orbit soon as earlier reported, although it's loosing 30 to 40 km per day from apogee. The asymmetrical drag at perigee increases uncertainty regarding actual attitude and amounts to as much as 5 degrees according to DJ4ZC. An error of this magnitude could reduce the effectiveness of the motor burn. The asymmetrical drag has the effect of changing the spin axis. It is caused by unequal atmospheric pressure on the spacecraft as it plummets down towards the lower reaches of the ionosphere only some 220 km (137 miles) high during perigee passages. AO-13's altitude spans a range of 164 to 1; that's 22 dBkm! At perigee, it's passing through the sparse gas of the F1-layer at a velocity of 17,480 mph so the effect of even the relatively few gas molecules it impacts can be a significant torque changing the spin axis. Consequently, the pre-launch plan has been modified according to KA9Q who, with N4HY, has helped plan the kick motor burn strategy with DJ4ZC. First, the satellite will be spun up to 40 rpm. Then, a burn of 20 counts will then be done. This should result in a delta-V of 150 meters/sec; about a third of that previously planned for the first burn. This will raise inclination by 5 degrees (to 15 degrees) and raise perigee to 1000 km. The new strategy will add a significant safety margin against the uncertainty in attitude caused by the drag. The new plan will consume slightly more fuel in the end, but the insurance is thought to be worth it. The first burn will consume only about 10% of the delta-V capacity of the spacecraft. Assuming the attitude maneuvers go according to plan, the first burn could occur this coming Wednesday. Then, with a comfortably high perigee, the burns into final orbit could be planned a bit more leisurely, according to KA9Q. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.06 AO-13 Telemetry Tells Status HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.06 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AO-13's telemetry is its link to the outside world in terms of what's going on in the satellite and how it "feels"; its health status. The telemetry is sent in three forms. The primary mode is digital data sent in a 400 baud, BPSK (Bi-Phase Shift Keyed) stream. This requires a special demodulator. (Such a demodulator is described in "Ham Radio" magazine for April, 1985.) On the hour and half hour, as a concession to tradition, 10 wpm CW reports are made. Then, at 15 and 45 minutes past each hour, RTTY messages using Baudot code at 50 baud, about 60 wpm, are sent. The BPSK message contains the full telemetry suite and narrative messages as well. The birthday greeting in message QTC 001 was sent in five languages. A new telemetry software package has been developed under the auspices of AMSAT-VK and is now being handled in the U.S. by Project OSCAR according to Project OSCAR President Ross Forbes, WB6GFJ. The software for IBM-PCs and compatibles will decode Phase 3C 400 baud PSK telemetry via the RS-232 communications port COM1 using the G3RUH PSK Demodulator as published in "Wireless World" Oct/Nov 1984 and "Ham Radio" in April 1985. The current version (V0.5) of the software basically decodes AO-10 telemetry but has been modified to accommodate the latest Phase 3C channel allocations. An updated version is being prepared now that AO-13 telemetry has been calibrated. For further details, please contact AMSAT-Australia P.O. Box 2141, Adelaide, South Australia Postcode 5001. Information may also be obtained from Project OSCAR P.O. Box 1136 Los Altos, CA, 94023. An SASE would be appreciated. The TAPR DSP project will also result in a hardware/software package capable of decoding AO-13 telemetry AMSAT has been advised. The revised AO-13 telemetry table which updates details published in ASR, QST and the Launch Info Kit, is now being distributed. On packet BBS, it was released in two parts called ALINS.009 and ALINS.010. The updated table will appear in the next ASR. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.07 Plan Says AO-13 Ops Late July HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.07 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT officials say we're still on track for first AO-13 transponder operations within 4 to 6 weeks of launch. So prospective operators should look forward being on AO-13 not later than August 1 if the kick motor burns all go according to plan. AO-13 carries 4 transponders ranging in frequency from 145 to 2400 MHz. Two of the transponders are broadband, linear repeaters; one is suitable for FM only; one is a type of Digipeater optimized for AO-13 use. Details of these transponders can be found in several current descriptive articles in the Amateur Radio print media. Among these are articles in the current (June 88) QST and May "73" magazines. Here are the AO-13 operating frequencies. The operating bandplan and schedule will be announced soon. Mode B: Uplink: 435.420 - 435.570 MHz Downlink: 145.975 - 145.825 MHz GB: 145.812 MHz EB: 145.985 MHz Mode JL: L Uplink: 1269.620 - 1269.330 MHz J Uplink: 144.425 - 144.475 MHz RUDAK up: 1269.710 MHz L Downlink: 435.715 - 436.005 MHz J Downlink: 435.990 - 435.940 MHz RUDAK down: 435.677 MHz (Also the EB) GB: 435.651 MHz Mode S: Uplink: 435.601 - 435.637 MHz Downlink: 2400.711 - 2400.747 MHz Beacon: 2400.325 MHz /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.08 Cosmonauts Return From Mir HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.08 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT The joint Soviet/Bulgarian cosmonaut crew returned safely from the orbital station MIR to the steppes of Kazakhstan on Friday, June 17. Soviet flight commander Anatoly Solovyov, flight engineer Viktor Savinykh, and Bulgarian research cosmonaut Alexander Alexandrov touched down just after 2 PM local time (1000 UTC) in their Soyuz descent module after completing a ten day mission to the permanently manned complex. They were bid farewell only hours earlier by their hosts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov who had gone over six months without guests aboard their orbiting home. The team had worked jointly on 46 experiments during their stay and in keeping with standard Soviet practice, brought home the older TM-4 spacecraft leaving the newer TM-5 attached to the station. Within minutes of the safe landing of the 63rd manned Soviet spaceflight, all three crewmen were awarded the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star Medal and the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The resident crew, Titov and Manarov, are expecting guests again later this summer when a Soviet/Afghan crew blasts off August 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the MIR station and again in November when a Soviet/French team visits for 30 days. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ANS-170.09 Short Bursts HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 170.09 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY June 18, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT A glitch in tracking AO-13 with some versions of the N4HY Quiktrak program has shown up. Apparently it has something to do with the eccentricity of AO-13's current (GTO) orbit. N4HY says he's looking into a fix. In any case, the problem will probably go away when the eccentricity is reduced as a result of the first kick motor firing planned for this coming week. Handsome posters of AMSAT OSCAR 13 in orbit are now available from AMSAT HQ. Call or write to obtain yours. Here is the AO-10 operating schedule: From June 15 thru June 30: MA 30 through MA 230. Please use minimum power required for communications. Here is the FO-12 operating schedule: Mode From (UTC) ---------------- JD Jun 18 0533 JD = Digital mode D 19 0439 JA = Analog mode JA 22 0156 D = All systems off D 23 0304 DI = Systems off except CPU and memory JA 25 0318 D 27 0131 JA 29 0143 D Jun 30 0049 JA Jul 02 0103 D 04 0116 JD* 07 1530 JD 07 1935 DI 08 0143 JD 09 0049 DI 09 2355 JA 13 1409 D Jul 14 1315 *From 1530 to 1732 UTC, July 7, acquisition of telemetry will be every 2 seconds. The mailbox will be disabled during this interval. The transponders will be off at other times. The actual operating schedule may change due to unexpected situations such as variations in available power. /EX SB ALL @ AMSAT $ALINS.008 AO-13 Kick Motor Firing Soon HR AMSAT LAUNCH INFORMATION NETWORK SERVICE BULLETIN .008 FROM WA2LQQ WARWICK, NY JUNE 17, 1988 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT AMSAT OSCAR 13 has now been in orbit two full days and continues in excellent condition. Telemetry from the new satellite reflects a very healthy spacecraft. AMSAT managers say the first kick motor firing could come early next week. Commanding of the spacecraft has begun. Attitude maneuvers to change the orientation in preparation for kick motor firing have begun. Commands have been sent to exercise the various beacons. Initial ranging by ZL1AOX has commenced. The data he obtained is now being analyzed by KA9Q. AMSAT's own ranging team makes precise orbital determinations by measuring the transit time of pulses sent to and returned from the satellite. Based on these measurements, AMSAT will assist government tracking facilities in sorting out the several objects in similar orbits. At least 5 objects from the Ariane launch were being tracked by government radars. These consisted of objects cataloged as: 83802: The Ariane third stage 83803: SPELDA top section? 83804: PANAMSAT 83805: Probably AO-13 83806: Possibly Meteosat If AMSAT ranging data is found sufficiently accurate and the attitude maneuvers are completed, a decision may be made over the weekend as to when the first kick motor firing will be scheduled. The first kick motor firing could come early next week. At least two and perhaps three motor firings are planned. The first burn will put AO-13 in an intermediate orbit approximately 856 km by 36,000 km inclined 26 degrees. Later burn or burns will place AO-13 in a 1500 km by 36,000 km orbit inclined 57 degrees. Meanwhile, the other Ariane passengers, Meteosat and PANAMSAT were due to fire their kick motors last night. A new set of orbital elements for the object designated 83805, which is thought to be AO-13 is as follows: Ref Epoch: 88168.5 Inclin: 10.032 RAAN: 244.633 Eccen: 0.7309586 Arg Per: 178.928 Mean Anomaly: 107.332 Mean Motion: 2.2577732 Drag: 0 Rev #: 2 Tracking AO-13 via computer using this element set as well as the prior one has been highly accurate. The beacon frequencies are: Mode B: GB: 145.812 MHz EB: 145.985 MHz Mode L: GB: 435.651 MHz EB: 435.677 MHz Beacon emissions include telemetry at 400 baud BPSK digital data, 50 baud RTTY at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour and 10 wpm CW on the hour and half hour. The RTTY can be copied by most devices designed to operate on 45 baud (60 wpm) Baudot code. For more information on getting started in satellites and on AMSAT membership, call AMSAT at 301-589-6062 or write: AMSAT P.O. Box 27, Washington, DC 20044. /EX