Monthly Archives: July 2013

Jul 9 2013

Radio Hams Kickstarter Plasma Thruster CubeSat

Artists impression of the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) satellite

Artists impression of the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) satellite

Radio amateurs Benjamin Longmier KF5KMP and James Cutler KF6RFX of the University of Michigan hope to raise $200,000 on Kickstarter for a CubeSat propulsion project.

The CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) is a new plasma propulsion system which will push small spacecraft like CubeSats around in orbit or far beyond the Earth. They aim to use the CAT plasma thruster to propel a 5kg satellite into deep space at 1/1000th the cost of previous missions.

Just like a normal rocket that produces thrust from the burning and expansion of hot gases, CAT produces thrust from the expansion of a super-heated 350,000 °C plasma stream. Plasma is an ionized gas that can be accelerated to produce thrust (F=ma).  The force generated by this thruster will be very low (milli-newtons) but very efficient.  The engine will be turned on for long durations, accelerating the spacecraft to much higher velocities than a typical chemical rocket.

First, the propellant will be injected from its storage container into the plasma discharge chamber, a quartz bottle that distributes the gas and contains the plasma. The gas is turned into a plasma by a radio frequency antenna that surrounds the chamber and launches a plasma wave known as a “helicon.” The plasma is then launched out of the quartz bottle and guided by magnetic fields from extremely powerful permanent magnets. As the plasma escapes the CAT engine, this causes an equal and opposite thrust, pushing the satellite in the opposite direction. Unlike conventional rockets, almost any substance can be used as propellant for CAT – even liquid metals or water vapor!

Find out more about the project and watch the video on the Kickstarter site.

Kickstarter – CAT: A Thruster for Interplanetary CubeSats
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597141632/cat-a-thruster-for-interplanetary-cubesats

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CubeSatAmbipolarThruster

Jul 8 2013

7-year-old UK boy writes to NASA

Late Spring on MarsDexter, a 7-year-old from Derby in England, wrote to NASA saying he wanted to be an astronaut and go to Mars.

The Huffington Post reports that to the surprise of his mother, Katrina Anderson, NASA responded encouraging Dexter to explore space camp, get good grades and continue “reaching for the stars” and sent a parcel of photos and stickers.

Read Dexters original letter and NASA’s response on his mother’s Imgur account at http://imgur.com/a/6MqlY

Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/dexter-nasa-letter_n_3561386.html

National Public Radio (NPR) story http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/07/08/200053973/boy-writes-to-nasa-nasa-writes-back

Jul 4 2013

Google Project Loon Interference Concerns

Google Project Loon Balloon

Google Project Loon Balloon

Concerns have been raised about interference from the 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz transmitters on the Google Project Loon High Altitude Balloons.

Google has launched 30 balloons from New Zealand which transmit wideband 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz signals and concerns have been raised about the interference they could cause to radio astronomy.

The Register reports that when Google engneer Dr Brad Tucker was contacted about the problem Google to said to have identified locations where Loon balloons might interfere with radio astronomy, and shut the transmitters down until they’re out of range.

Google plans to sending up 300 balloons around the world at the southern fortieth parallel that would provide coverage to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

The company hopes to eventually have thousands of balloons flying in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20 km.

The Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services also use the frequencies that Project Loon is transmitting on.

Read the Register story at
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/02/project_loon_wont_blind_radio_telescopes/

Google Project Loon https://amsat-uk.org/2013/06/17/google-project-loon-using-2400-and-5800-mhz/

Jul 4 2013

Ham Radio CubeSat FITSAT-1 becomes a “Shooting Star”

FITSAT-1 used LED's to signal in Morse code

FITSAT-1 used LED’s to signal in Morse code

The amateur radio CubeSat FITSAT-1, also known as NIWAKA, burnt up in the Earth’s atmosphere in the early hours of Thursday, July 4, 2013.

Image of ISS taken by the FITSAT-1 CubeSat after deployment

Image of ISS taken by the FITSAT-1 CubeSat after deployment

Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG of the Fukuoka Institute of Technology FITSAT project has issued this statement:

FITSAT-1 has decayed on July 4, 2013. The last signal was received by JA0CAW at 03:07(UT).

I appreciate all hams who joined our experiments, helped our operations, and sent me many reports.

I could make many friends in the world and enjoyed through FITSAT-1. Though FITSAT-1 became a shooting star,  I am very happy now.

Thank you very much again all Ham friends.

FITSAT-1 Flight Model

FITSAT-1 Flight Model

FITSAT-1, built by students at the Fukuoka Institute of Technology, was one of five CubeSats launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 21, 2012.

The CubeSats WE-WISH, TechEdSat, F-1, FITSAT-1 and RAIKO were integrated with the J-SSOD small satellite deployer on the the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo and deployed by the Kibo robotic arm on October 4, 2012 into a 420 km orbit.

Four of them, WE-WISH, TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1, have now de-orbited only RAIKO remains. The CubeSats that have de-orbited were all 1U in size (10x10x10 cm, 1-1.2 kg). The remaining CubeSat RAIKO is 2U in size, twice the volume and mass (20x10x10 cm, 2 kg).

Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG and FITSAT

Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG and FITSAT

FITSAT-1 carried a CW telemetry beacon on 437.250 MHz, a 1200 bps AX.25 packet radio transmitter on 437.445 MHz, a high-speed (115.2 kbps) data transmitter on 5840.0 MHz and an optical LED array to flash Morse code to observers on Earth.

The 5840.0 MHz transmitter on FITSAT-1 ran about 2 watts output. It supported a data rate of 115.2 kbps and sent a JPEG 640×480 VGA pictures in just 6 sec.

FITSAT-1’s low orbit meant its lifespan was limited to just 9 months but in that time it was able to achieve a number of technology firsts. Its success showed the outstanding design and construction abilities of the student team from the Fukuoka Institute of Technology.

Pictures Received on 5840 MHz from Amateur Radio Satellite FITSAT-1
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/01/08/pictures-received-on-5840-mhz-from-amateur-radio-satellite-fitsat-1/

FITSAT-1 Successfully Flashes Morse Code from Space
https://amsat-uk.org/2012/12/12/amateur-radio-cubesat-fitsat-1-successfully-flashes-morse-code-from-space/

FITSAT-1 website http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml

Further information and pictures of the CubeSats are at
https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/techedsat-f-1-fitsat-1-we-wish/

Amateur Radio CubeSats TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1 pass the ISS solar panels

Amateur Radio CubeSats TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1 pass the ISS solar panels

Jul 2 2013

ISS Ham Radio Slow Scan TV Active

ISS Slow Scan TV received by Dmitry Pashkov UB4UAD

ISS Slow Scan TV received by Dmitry Pashkov UB4UAD

The Slow Scan TV (SSTV) experiment MAI-75 on the International Space Station (ISS) was active on July 2-3, on 145.800 MHz FM.

The Russian ham radio call sign is RS0ISS. Two Russian hams, Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, and Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, are aboard the ISS as part of the Expedition 36 crew.

On July 2, Dmitry Pashkov UB4UAD received the picture opposite and on July 3, Joshua Nelson KB1TCI at the International Space University (ISU) GENSO ground station received the picture below.

All you need to do to receive the SSTV pictures from the space station is to  connected the audio output of a scanner or amateur rig via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device, and tune in to 145.800 MHz FM. You can even receive pictures by holding an iPhone next to the radio’s loudspeaker.

ATV-4 SSTV image received by Joshua Nelson KB1TCI at ISU GENSO ground station

SSTV image of ATV-4 received by Joshua Nelson KB1TCI at the ISU GENSO ground station

The ISS puts out a strong signal on 145.800 MHz FM and a 2m handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it. The FM transmission uses 5 kHz deviation which is standard in much of the world.

Many FM rigs in the UK can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters so select the wider deviation. Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.

On Windows PC’s the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app. The ISS Fan Club website will show you when the space station is in range.

For more on Slow Scan Television SSTV, see this article SSTV – The Basics.

ISS SSTV picture of ATV-4 received by Dmitry Pashkov UB4UAD

ISS SSTV picture of ATV-4 received by Dmitry Pashkov UB4UAD

How to be successful with the ISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) imaging system
http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtoisssstv.html

Information on the MAI-75 SSTV experiment
http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/education-26.html

IZ8BLY Vox Recoder, enables you to record the signals from the ISS on 145.800 MHz while you’re away at work http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/

ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) Blog and Gallery http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.co.uk/

Watch this video showing MMSSTV receceiving a SSTV picture  November 9, 2012

For the latest status of amateur radio activity on the ISS and real time tracking see http://www.issfanclub.com/

Jul 1 2013

OPS-SAT Opportunity for Radio Amateurs

CAD drawing og OPS-SAT - credit ESA

CAD drawing of OPS-SAT – credit ESA

OPS-SAT provides a rare opportunity for testing new amateur radio software for use on a CubeSat actually in space. The 3U CubeSat has deployable solar arrays and plans to launch in 2016 into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Although the formal closing dates for expressions of interest from potential experimenters for this project has now closed, contact has been made with Dave Evans at ESA-ESOC who has confirmed that they would be very interested to receive proposals from an AMSAT team to develop a novel use of this spacecraft for amateur radio purposes.

In addition to an X Band downlink and S Band uplinks and downlinks, the spacecraft will carry a simplex transceiver operating with 4k8/9k6 telemetry using GMSK on the 435 MHz band.

It s understood that experimenters will have access to an onboard processor running Linux/Java at 500 to 800 MHz.

The project is open to teams led by a group from any ESA member country (this includes Canada) and initial info is shown here although the detailed design is being rapidly iterated.

It is emphasised that this is a very open project which will require lots of interaction between the contributing groups.

Bright ideas are needed from our software experts and If there is sufficient interest it may be possible to host a Skype conference about this opportunity during the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium over the weekend of July 20-21.

It is not proposed that this should be an AMSAT-UK led project, but Graham Shirville G3VZV is happy to provide some initial coordination!

OPS-SAT Evolving Software Technology for Spacecraft Operations
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/OPS-SAT_Evolving_Software_Technology_for_Spacecraft_Operations