****************************************************************************** * AMSAT NA News Service Bulletins * * NEWS332 28Nov87 * * [ Copyright 1987 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 ] * ****************************************************************************** (No new items this week) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * RECENT NEWS IN REVIEW ===================== Headlines: 1.(U) Users Welcome AO-10 Return To Service 2.(R) Ariane V-20 Launch Success Edges Phase 3C Towards March Launch 3.(U) Polar Skitrek Team Arrives In Canada For Advanced Training 4.(R) Phase 3C Launch Preparations Accelerate 5.(R) New UoSAT-2 DIARY 6.(U) FO-12 Schedule 7.(U) AMSAT Board Authorizes PACSAT Project * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1.(U) Users Welcome AO-10 Return To Service AMSAT OSCAR 10 returned with Mode B service Monday, November 16. Operating conditions will be improving over the next several weeks. For the next month or so, very long eclipses will be occurring. Operation during those periods is expressly prohibited to protect the spacecraft battery. The timing of the eclipses will vary in the coming weeks. This will, in turn, cause changes in the operating schedule. Users will need to keep in close contact with official news sources to insure they are aware of current and planned operating schedules. Here is the AO-10 operating schedule for the next few weeks: AMSAT OSCAR 10 Transponder Operating Schedule ============================================= +---------------------+--------------------------------+ | Time Frame (1987) | Mode B Operating Times in MA | +---------------------+--------------------------------+ | Nov 24 thru Nov 30 | 0 thru 69 and 141 thru 255 | | Dec 01 thru Dec 07 | 0 thru 89 and 161 thru 255 | | Dec 08 thru Dec 14 | 0 thru 99 and 171 thru 255 | | Dec 15 thru Dec 21 | 0 thru 109 and 191 thru 255 | | Dec 22 thru Dec 28 | 0 thru 119 and 201 thru 255 | +---------------------+--------------------------------+ As always, please insure you use the lowest uplink power levels so as to insure satellite health as well as good communications. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2.(R) Ariane V-20 Launch Success Edges Phase 3C Towards March Launch The European Space Agency notched a success early Saturday, November 21, its second launch success in a row. This success improves prospects AMSAT's Phase 3C satellite will be launched early in 1988. The Ariane V-20 mission, the twentieth in the European consortium's ambitious program, lifted off its pad in Kourou, French Guiana, at precisely 02:19 UTC. The sole payload was the TVSAT-1, a joint project of the Federal Republic of Germany and France. Next in line for launch is V-21. This launch had been scheduled for early January but Arianespace has announced a delay in V-21 because of concerns over the vehicle's third stage cryogenic engine. This delay may ripple through the schedule and affect V-22 and AMSAT's Phase 3C. The effect could be to slew the V-22 launch towards the end of March. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3.(U) Polar Skitrek Team Arrives In Canada For Advanced Training Russian participants in the joint Canadian-Russian Skitrek project travelled to Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island, Canada, November 23 after having arrived in Montreal on the 20th. A special event station has been established at Frobisher. The primary purpose of the Frobisher station is to support the actual skiers beginning next February. Accompanying the Russian team arriving in Canada was Leonid Labutin, UA3CR. Leo is the Russian team's chief radio operator and a veteran of polar expeditions himself although on this project he will operate from the support base. AMSAT's John Henry, VE2VQ, met with Leo near Ottawa November 22 to discuss the polar expedition and several other joint projects on the drawing boards. Canadian Amateurs are supporting the project en masse. Under the leadership of CRRL President Tom Atkins, VE3CDM, the Canadians have assembled an impressive team of Amateur Radio communicators including well known DXer Barry Garratt, VE3CDX. Garratt will be among the select team operating from Frobisher. The CRRL is acting as expedition coordinator for all Canadian Amateur Radio activities supporting the project. The Canadian Department of Communications has announced the signing of an historic Third Party Agreement with the USSR for the period November 1 through the conclusion of the polar expedition. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4.(R) Phase 3C Launch Preparations Accelerate The Phase 3C spacecraft will undergo an intensive series of tests this week. According to Dick Daniels, W4PUJ, who will be travelling to West Germany for the tests which begin on November 30, the critical test of the new propulsion system is high on the test agenda. The tests will use isopropyl alcohol and nitrogen to simulate the actual explosive propellants. Later, the important shake and vibration tests will be performed on the fully assembled spacecraft. A further thermal vacuum test of selected modules is also under consideration. The tests are being performed in the facilities of AMSAT DL in Marburg and other facilities including those of MBB, the maker of the bi-propellant kick motor. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5.(R) New UoSAT-2 DIARY Last week saw the first tests of a new DIARY program for UoSAT-2. The new DIARY has been developed by OBC programmer Steve Holder and ADCS researcher Paul Wright in the FORTH computer language. This marks the first time that programs developed in a high-level language (i.e. not in assembler) have been used on either of the UoSAT satellites. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 6.(U) FO-12 Schedule Here is the operating schedule for FO-12 for the next few days: Operating schedule for the FUJI/FO-12 Mode From (UTC) To (UTC) -------------------------------- JA Nov28 4:11 -- 29 5:19 JD Dec 1 03:31 -- 2 06:42 JD 3 03:45 -- 4 04:53 JD 5 03:58 -- 6 05:07 JA 8 01:16 -- 9 02:24 JA 10 01:30 -- 11 02:38 JA 12 05:51 -- 14 01:57 JA 15 03:06 -- 16 06:19 The transponders will be off at other time. The schedule may be changed at any time due to unexpected power situations. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 7.(U) AMSAT Board Authorizes PACSAT Project On November 8, the AMSAT Board of Directors learned from Vice President of Engineering Jan King, W3GEY, that it may be possible for AMSAT to develop and provide an Amateur Radio packet radio satellite much more quickly than previously thought. The Board responded by authorizing an extraordinary program to take advantage of any one of several "target of opportunity" launches that may present themselves within the next 24 months. Support for the AMSAT-NA PACSAT Project is urgently needed if it is to succeed. Donations may be sent to AMSAT, P.O. Box 27, Washington D.C. 20044. *****************************************************************************