Monthly Archives: July 2012

Jul 10 2012

10 year old Radio Ham talks of his DIY Space Projects on TV

Channel 9 TV Interviews Jason Brand VK2FJAB

Jason Brand VK2FJAB (10) was interviewed for the morning “Today” show on Channel 9 in Australia. He talks about amateur radio and his Do-It-Yourself space projects.

Watch Channel 9 (Australia) interview with Jason

Watch Robert Brand VK2URB and Jason Brand VK2FJAB WotzUp Radio, Space and Balloon Workshop

Forget Skype: this whiz kid prefers radio
http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/forget-skype-this-whiz-kid-prefers-radio/

Students help launch balloon into space
http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/students-help-launch-balloon-into-space/

ArduSat Introduction http://wotzup.com/2012/07/ardusat-introduction/

Jul 10 2012

UK to get Kickstarter crowd-sourced funding

A KickSat Sprite Satellite

The crowd-sourced funding website Kickstarter, which has been used for amateur radio projects in the USA, is to launch in the UK this autumn.

Radio ham Zac Manchester KD2BHC used Kickstarter to raise $74,586 in donations to fund the development and deployment of over a hundred amateur radio KickSat sprite satellites.

The amateur radio satellite project ArduSat managed to raise donations of $80,379 in just 26 days.

Kickstarter is not just about raising large sums of money, for example Sandy Antunes used Kickstarter to raise $2,780 to buy a ham radio transceiver and antennas to create an amateur radio satellite ground station Calliope

BBC News report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18780184

Twitter http://twitter.com/kickstarter/

Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/

Jul 9 2012

Rocket Science – Helen Sharman Interview

Helen Sharman GB1MIR was the first UK astronaut. On May 18, 1991, she flew to the Mir Space Station on board Soyuz-TM12, aged 27.

Before flying, Helen spent 18 months in intensive flight training in Star City on the outskirts of Moscow. The Soyuz TM-12 mission, which included Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky and Sergei Krikalev, lasted eight days, most of that time spent at the Mir space station. Helen’s tasks included medical and agricultural scientific experiments, photographing the British Isles, and participating in an amateur radio hookup with UK schoolchildren.

Watch Rocket Science – Helen Sharman Interview

Since her return, Helen has become one of the UK’s leading ambassadors for science. She was awarded the OBE in 1992 and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the British Interplanetary Society. Helen has won numerous awards including the Medal “For Merit in Space Exploration” in 2012 from the Russian Federation government. Helen is currently Group Leader of Surface and Nanoanalysis at the National Physical Laboratory.

Jul 9 2012

Space Shuttle – Grand Finale 2010-11

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-133 – Image credit NASA/Kenny Allen and Mike Gayle

McLean Fahnestock  has produced a High Definition video work showing all 135 space shuttle launches.

Watch Grand Finale 2010-11

McLean Fahnestock http://mcleanfahnestock.com/

Jul 9 2012

Summer OSCAR News in the Post

The 40 page Summer edition of the AMSAT-UK publication OSCAR News is being posted to members.

In this issue:

  • Development of High Voltage Technology Demonstration Satellite, HORYU-2
  • A Multi-purpose Portable Set-up: Working Low Earth Orbit Satellites from any place
  • AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium Guildford Sept 15-16
  • Increase in ISS Debris Avoidance Manoeuvres
  • G3CVI column “Haven’t got a callsign?”
  • The FUNcube Dongle and the next generation
  • FUNcube Report June 2012
  • AMSAT-FOX
  • Listening to the ISS
  • ITAR – International Traffic in Arms Regulations
  • ESMO – European Student Moon Orbiter

You can get OSCAR News by joining AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK

AMSAT-UK is a voluntary organisation that supports the design and building of equipment for amateur radio satellites.

Jul 9 2012

Reform of the Outer Space Act 1986: Consultation

The UK Space Agency has issued a public consultation seeking views of stakeholders on proposed changes to the Outer Space Act 1986.

This is in response to the Government Growth Review published in March 2011, in which the Government set out its wish to reform the Outer Space Act 1986 by introducing an upper limit on liability for UK operators.

The Outer Space Act covers all UK satellites irrespective of size, from tiny low cost educational CubeSats up to large commercial £500 million satellites.

The key aspects of the consultation are the proposals to waive the capped liability and insurance requirement for in-orbit operation of any satellite that meets the criteria of a CubeSat and to remove the requirement for unlimited indemnity from satellite operators.

The existing Outer Space Act imposes heavy additional costs (>£50,000 per annum) on those wishing to launch small educational CubeSats. The additional costs act as a major deterrent and to-date no such UK CubeSat has been launched.

The public consultation closes August 31, 2012.

Further information at
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/news-and-events/2012/May/
reform-of-the-outer-space-act-1986-consultation