Dec 10 2013

10 GHz CubeSat ESTELLE to carry Cold Gas Thruster

ESTELLE - Credit NanoSpace

ESTELLE – Credit NanoSpace

The 2U ESTELLE will accommodate the QB50 scientific payload and an experimental miniaturized cold gas thruster module with four thrusters and 50 grams of fuel.

This mission is a partnership between Estonia, Sweden, Latvia and Slovenia. The general hardware design will improve upon the single unit ESTCube-1, launched on May 7, 2013.

Cold gas propulsion system is seen as a very attractive solution for the CubeSats, as the standard limits the use of pyrotechnics and high-pressure systems. The propulsion module, developed by NanoSpace, uses butane under 2-5 bar pressure. This should be in accordance with the next CubeSat standard revision. The 0.3 unit module will be located at the opposite end from the QB50 payload. It contains four thrusters, which are placed on the same side for maximum delta-v capability (40 m/s). This delta-v capability can be used to alternate the orbit in order to enhance the scientific return of the QB50 mission by extending the satellite’s lifetime.

ESTELLE Cold Gas Thruster - Credit NanoSpace

ESTELLE Cold Gas Thruster – Credit NanoSpace

An experimental high data rate transmitter (HDRT) is envisaged if it fits within the system margins to include it on-board the satellite. It would operate on S, C or X band amateur radio frequencies and use BPSK modulation. Up to 10 Mbit/s data rates can be achieved with 3 W of operating power.

Proposing a UHF GMSK/BPSK downlinks up to 19k2 bps and a series of HDRT experiments including a 2.4 GHz downlink using GFSK/BPSK at up to 1Mbps, a 5.8 GHz downlink using GFSK and BPSK at up to 10Mbps and a 10 GHz downlink at up to 10 Mbp.

EstCube https://www.facebook.com/estcube

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) https://www.facebook.com/SSC.SwedishSpaceCorporation

NanoSpace http://www.sscspace.com/nanospace

Communication link design at 437.5 MHz for a nanosatellite
http://upcommons.upc.edu/pfc/bitstream/2099.1/19403/4/elec_2013_cantero_jorge.pdf

Dec 9 2013

Say Hi to Juno – Presentation

This computer-generated image depicts NASA's Juno spacecraft firing its Leros-1b main engine - credit NASA

This computer-generated image depicts NASA’s Juno spacecraft firing its Leros-1b main engine – credit NASA

In a post on the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) Andy Thomas G0SFJ informs us of a presentation on Tuesday, December 10 regarding the amateur radio “Say Hi to Juno” project.

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
Science from Juno’s Earth Flyby
Tuesday, 10 December 10:30 a.m. PST (18:30 UT)

In October, the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft did a flyby of Earth before its long journey. The Juno team presents a low-resolution Earth flyby video as well as data acquired by the spacecraft as it zipped past the home planet. Team members will also discuss results from the mission’s outreach campaign inviting amateur radio operators to “Say Hi to Juno” as the spacecraft passed, and the scientific goals for the mission once it reaches Jupiter.

Participants:
Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA;
John Joergensen, Juno star-camera team lead, Danish Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Bill Kurth, co-investigator for the Juno Waves Investigation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Sessions: SM21E, SM33B

Webstreaming
http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2013/media-center/press-conference-webstreaming-instructions/

Source: http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2013/media-center/press-conferences/#juno

Radio Hams Say Hi To Juno https://amsat-uk.org/2013/10/09/radio-hams-say-hi-to-juno/

AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/

Dec 9 2013

$50SAT team seek help from radio hams

Yaesu handheld and $50SAT a 1.5U PocketQube

Yaesu handheld and $50SAT a 1.5U PocketQube

The $50SAT team is asking for help in capturing telemetry from the amateur radio 1.5U PocketQube satellite $50SAT on 437.505 MHz (+/-9 kHz Doppler shift) CW.

$50SAT Boards

$50SAT Boards

We are trying to determine the charging characteristics of the power system. The three team members all live above 40 degrees north and the satellite does not warm up enough during nighttime N-S passes to allow charging to begin. None of us are usually around during the daytime S-N passes and we would particularly appreciate telemetry reports when the satellite is in daylight.

Any form of report is welcome: decode of the fast Morse (120 WPM), RTTY demod, audio recording or I/Q capture from a FUNcube or RTL dongle would be greatly appreciated.

A link to a detailed description of the communications package can be found on the $50SAT website, http://www.50dollarsat.info/. The last distribution of Keps from AMSAT contain good elements for $50SAT.

$50SAT a 1.5U PocketQube

$50SAT a 1.5U PocketQube

$50SAT is one of the smallest amateur radio satellites ever launched at 5x5x7.5 cm and weighs only 210 grams. Transmitter power is just 100 mW.

Thanks,
Howie DeFelice AB2S
Email: howied231<at>hotmail.com

$50SAT has been a collaborative education project between Professor Bob Twiggs, KE6QMD, Morehead State University and three other radio amateurs, Howie DeFelice, AB2S, Michael Kirkhart, KD8QBA, and Stuart Robinson, GW7HPW.

The $50SAT team plan to make all the software and hardware designs freely available to anyone who wants them for personal or educational use. For further information see the $50SAT Dropbox at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l3919wtfiywk2gf/-HxyXNsIr8

There is a discussion group for $50SAT at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/50dollarsat/conversations/topics

50DollarSat http://www.50dollarsat.info/

HOPE RFM22B FSK transceiver http://www.hoperf.com/rf/module/fsk/RFM22B.htm

PICAXE-40X2 microcontroller http://www.picaxe.com/Hardware/PICAXE-Chips/PICAXE-40X2-microcontroller/

Revolution Education http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/

$50SAT Eagle2 PocketQube Operational
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/11/22/50sat-eagle2-pocketqube-operational/

Dnepr satellites https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/dnepr-november-2013/

Dec 8 2013

KB1WTW Addresses US House Committee

Dr Sara Seager KB1WTW at the US House of Representatives December 4, 2013

Dr Sara Seager KB1WTW at the US House of Representatives December 4, 2013

Dr. Sara Seager, KB1WTW, Class of 1941 Professor of Physics and Planetary Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology addressed the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, United States House of Representatives December 4, 2013.

Invited witnesses were:

Dr. Mary Voytek
Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, Planetary Science Division
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dr. Sara Seager KB1WTW
Class of 1941 Professor of Physics and Planetary Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Steven Dick
Baruch S. Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, John W. Kluge Center
Library of Congress

Dr. Sara Seager KB1WTW highlights the importance of CubeSats in education at 0:46 into this video.

Watch Astrobiology: Search for Biosignatures in our Solar System, House Space Committee, Dec 4, 13

This video was uploaded to YouTube by SpaceKSC http://www.spaceksc.com/ Twitter @SpaceKSCBlog

Professor Sara Seager KB1WTW - Image credit MIT

Professor Sara Seager KB1WTW – Image credit MIT

Testimony of Dr. Sara Seager KB1WTW, Hearing on Astrobiology
http://astrobiology.com/2013/12/testimony-of-dr-sara-seager-hearing-on-astrobiology.html

Concord resident earns Genius Grant http://www.wickedlocal.com/concord/news/x1868848071/Concord-resident-earns-Genius-Grant

Inflatable Antenna Could Give CubeSats Greater Reach
https://amsat-uk.org/2013/09/07/inflatable-antenna-could-give-cubesats-greater-reach/

How a Pocket-Size Satellite Could Find Another Earth
https://amsat-uk.org/2012/05/12/how-a-pocket-size-satellite-could-find-another-earth/

Thanks to David J. Mercado KK4MND for spotting this item.

Dec 8 2013

Radio Astronomy magazine available

BAA-RAG RAGazine Issue 2 Dec 2013The Vol 1 Issue 2, Dec 2013 issue of RAGazine is now available.

The publication by the British Astronomical Association Radio Astronomy Group (BAA-RAG) can be downloaded in both hi-res and lo-res versions.

Issue 2 and the previous Issue 1 can be downloaded from the BAA-RAG site at http://www.britastro.org/radio/downloads.html

Join the BAA-RAG Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baa-rag

Dec 8 2013

WD9EWK releases videos of working AO-73

FUNcube-1 flight model - Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

FUNcube-1 flight model – Image credit Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG

The AMSAT News Service (ANS) reports Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK has been working the new AO-73 satellite from his back yard.  Most of the time, he has been using his normal portable all-mode satellite station – two Yaesu FT-817NDs, Elk handheld 2m/70cm log periodic antenna. On November 30 he replaced one of the FT-817NDs with a Kenwood TH-F6A – using its all-mode receiver to copy the downlink. December 1 he used an Icom IC-R20 receiver for the downlink. He’s used these radios in the past on other satellites, and for some hamfest demonstrations on VO-52 Patrick had used the FT-817ND/TH-F6A combination. He has made a series of videos (satellite audio combined with slideshows) from several AO-73 passes he has worked. They are available at:

http://www.youtube.com/va7ewk

One of the AO-73 videos contains audio from two passes, and is about twice as long as the others which have audio from a single pass.

Watch WD9EWK working AO-73/FUNcube-1 from Scottsdale AZ (DM43bn) – Dec 1, 2013 0542 UT

After working these passes, he is convinced that this new satellite performs as well as VO-52, for both its uplink and downlink.  This is a very good thing!  AO-73 hears very well, as long as you’re careful to match the polarization of the satellite’s antennas.  The downlink is strong enough to allow the use any of these radios as the receiver on higher passes.  For lower passes, he will probably use his second FT-817ND for the downlink receiver.  It is good to know that, at least on the higher passes, there are lots of options for a downlink receiver. On the same higher passes, he learned that he can cut the power down from 5W to 1W and even 500mW.  High power is not necessary to be heard through the transponder.

Final gluing of FUNcube-1 bolt by Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG – Image credit Gerard Aalbers

Final gluing of FUNcube-1 bolt by Wouter Weggelaar PA3WEG – Image credit Gerard Aalbers

Patrick’s next project with AO-73 will be using a FUNcube Dongle Pro+ as the downlink receiver, for both the transponder and telemetry, while working the transponder with an FT-817ND as his transmit radio.  He reinstalled HDSDR and its ExtIO DLL for the Pro+ Dongle on his 64-bit Windows 7 laptop, and it is working well. He will be installing the FUNcube-1 Dashboard software. Patrick has an old netbook running Linux, and is curious to see how the dongle works with that operating system.  His hope is to be able to use the dongle and a laptop as the downlink receiver, without being wiped out by the 5W signals from an FT-817ND.

If all is successful, he believes he will have a new combination for his all-mode satellite station that he can use for upcoming demonstrations. Using the dongle and dashboard software during daytime AO-73 passes at hamfests would be something different, and a great thing to show off to the hamfest crowds.

Patrick thanks all who worked on getting this satellite built and launched.  “Even with the transponder on only for the nighttime passes, it has been fun to be on a new satellite so soon after its launch.”

ANS thanks Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK for the above information

AMSAT News Service (ANS) http://ww2.amsat.org/?page_id=443