Tag Archives: NASA Ames Research Center

Aug 19 2013

PhoneSat: “Crowd-sourced science” via ham radio

Phonesat ConstructionEDN magazine interviews Jasper Wolfe about the new Phonesats to be launched this year which will carry amateur radio payloads.

The Phonesats were developed by young engineers (average age 23) at the NASA-Ames Research Center.

The EDN article by Steve Taranovich says:

Wolfe told us that NASA’s next generation PhoneSat satellites to be launched on November 6 and December 6, will emit packets over the amateur radio band at 437.425 MHz. Satellites transmit using AFSK (1200 bps) modulation, AX.25 packet coding and have vertical linear polarization. As in the first launch, hence the term “Crowd-sourced science” coined by mentor Jim Cockrell.

The two PhoneSat 2 and 3 satellites will transmit with a periodicity of respectively 28 seconds and 30 seconds. The PhoneSat 2.0 beta satellite, Alexander, transmit with a periodicity of 25 seconds. One satellite will be up there for two years and the other for three months.

Read the EDN article
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/anablog/4419778/NASA-PhoneSat—Crowd-sourced-science–via-ham-radio

One of the images taken by the first Phonesats, Graham and Bell, launched April 21, 2013 can be seen at https://amsat-uk.org/2013/04/26/phonesat-pictures-released/

Nov 26 2012

Nexus S PhoneSat v2 Plans Summer 2013 Launch

PhoneSat v2 is a technology demonstration mission intended to increase the functional capabilities of PhoneSat v1 and demonstrate complete satellite functionally in a low cost package.

The satellite is built around the Nexus S smartphone which will be running the Android operating system and will be enclosed in a standard 1U CubeSat structure.

Continue reading →

Nov 20 2012

Phonesat – Popular Science Magazine Winners

Phonesat ConstructionPhonesat, which hopes to launch in December carrying an amateur radio payload on 437.425 MHz, has been chosen as one of the winners in the Aerospace category for the Popular Science magazine “Best of What’s New 2012” awards.

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Jul 20 2012

KJ6TVO “Pursuing My Childhood Dream”

Ali Guarneros Luna KJ6TVO - Image credit NASA Ames

Ali Guarneros Luna KJ6TVO – Image credit NASA Ames

Radio amateur Ali Guarneros Luna KJ6TVO features in an SJSU Today article.

Ali Guarneros Luna KJ6TVOShe is part of an SJSU student team that worked on the cube satellite TechEdSat, one of five CubeSats being transported to the International Space Station.

Ali was born in Mexico City and now lives in San Jose, California. She received her BS in Aerospace Engineering at San Jose State University in 2010 and completes her MS in Aerospace Engineering from San Jose State University in 2012.

She currently works with the Edison Program, Small Spacecraft Payload and Technologies (SSPT) and SPHERES National Lab at NASA Ames Research Center. Under the Edison Program, Ali works on development of CubeSat projects, including TechEdSat, as the System Engineering, Mission And Ground Operations, and Launch Vehicle Service expert.

Read the full SJSU article at
http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2012/spartans-at-work-at-nasa-ames-im-pursuing-my-childhood-dream/

Watch Spartans at Work: Building Satellites at NASA

Radio Amateur Encourages Engineering as a Career http://www.uk.amsat.org/5621

Live TV broadcast for launch of HTV-3 CubeSats http://www.uk.amsat.org/9006

Jul 20 2012

KJ6TVO “Pursuing My Childhood Dream”

Radio amateur Ali Guarneros Luna KJ6TVO features in an SJSU Today article.

She is part of an SJSU student team that worked on the cube satellite TechEdSat, one of five CubeSats being transported to the International Space Station.

Ali was born in Mexico City and now lives in San Jose, California. She received her BS in Aerospace Engineering at San Jose State University in 2010 and completes her MS in Aerospace Engineering from San Jose State University in 2012.

She currently works with the Edison Program, Small Spacecraft Payload and Technologies (SSPT) and SPHERES National Lab at NASA Ames Research Center. Under the Edison Program, Ali works on development of CubeSat projects, including TechEdSat, as the System Engineering, Mission And Ground Operations, and Launch Vehicle Service expert.

Read the full SJSU article at
http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2012/spartans-at-work-at-nasa-ames-im-pursuing-my-childhood-dream/

Watch Spartans at Work: Building Satellites at NASA

Radio Amateur Encourages Engineering as a Career http://www.uk.amsat.org/5621

Live TV broadcast for launch of HTV-3 CubeSats http://www.uk.amsat.org/9006

Jun 18 2012

Open Source CubeSat Next Phase in DIY Space Access

Space Safety Magazine reports that in recent years it has become both easier and more conceivable for students and amateurs to run experiments in space. Non-governmental space organizations are on the rise, DIY spaceflight is all the rage, and it seems the web is full of videos filmed from atop weather balloons launching someone’s favorite figurine into the stratosphere.  A recent project even allows consumers to use purchase points from American Express towards funding student experiments aboard the International Space Station.

The magazine article focuses on NanoSatisfi who launched a Kickstarter initiative on June 15 for an open source CubeSat called ArduSat (although naming rights are available in return for a $10,000 donation).

NanoSatisfi was founded by Austrian-born Peter Platzer a former high-energy physicist (CERN), former Hedge Fund Quantitative Trader, avid HP-41 hacker and Arduino enthusiast, along with Belgian aerospace engineer Jeroen Cappaert intern at NASA Ames Research Center, Canadian aerospace engineer Joel Spark intern at EADS Astrium and Hungarian Reka Kovacs intern at NASA Ames Research Center working on alternative methods of public outreach for space science. The four founders met at the International Space University in Strasbourg and thought that they could do something to provide affordable, open-source space exploration for everyone.

Read the full Space Safety Magazine article Open Source Cubesat Next Phase in DIY Space Access

The New York Observer – Former Quantitative Trader Spurns Wall Street to Explore the Final Frontier
http://observer.com/2012/06/quantitative-trader-spurns-wall-street-in-push-to-explore-the-final-frontier/

ArduSat Arduino CubeSat Update http://www.uk.amsat.org/8284