Tag Archives: Space

Apr 27 2013

Three 437 MHz ham radio balloons to launch from Poland

sp9uob_frontTomasz Brol SP9UOB plans to launch three High Altitude Balloons to near-space this week carrying amateur radio payloads on 437.600, 437.595 and 437.615 MHz.

At maximum altitude the 10 mW signal from these balloons could have a potential range of up to 700 km.

Thomasz posts:

I’m planning on launching 3 balloons from Gliwice Glider Airport [Upper Silesia], with ultralight (36-40 grams) payloads.

First launch on Wednesday, May 1 at 9:00 UTC – under 100g kaysam / Helium – just for hardware check 437.600 MHz

Second on Saturday, May 4 at 9:00 UTC – 1600 g Hwoyee / Hydrogen – 437.595 MHz

Third on Saturday, May 4 at 10:00 UTC – 1600 g Hwoye / Hydrogen – 437.615 MHz

RTTY, 470 Hz shift / 50 baud / 7n1

The IARU Region 1 site carries this report on the May 4 balloon launch:

On Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 9:00 UTC (11:00 am – local time), the team from the club SP9PDF – directed by Tomasz, SP9UOB – will launch an unmanned stratospheric balloon. The current record of flight altitude is 44,376 feet above sea level.

The balloon named SEBA-1 will be launched from the Aero Club of Gliwice within the project “From Gliwice to Space”, started in June 2012.

A telemetry transmitter (its power – 10 mW) will be  placed in a capsule, the balloon will operate on RTTY on the frequency 437.600 MHz USB (+ / – thermal drift of about 10 kHz), 50 baud, 470 Hz shift, 7N1. To receive telemetric data, you should use the dl-fldigi program.

Detailed instructions for configuration of the software can be found at: http://sp9uob.verox.pl/rtty_tracking.html

The capsule has a total weight of just 37 grams, including: the electronic circuits – 8 grams, the power (R6) – 14 grams, the antenna – 3 grams, the thermal insulation – 12 grams.

Such light weight load, combined with a giant balloon (2 kg of latex filled with hydrogen) should result, at least, in approaching the world record.

We invite everyone to track the flight of the balloon by listening on the indicated frequency, or  at the following website: http://spacenear.us/

Source of information: SP9PDF Club Team – IARU Region 1 http://www.iaru-r1.org/

Beginners Guide to Tracking using dl-fldigi http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide

To get details of upcoming balloon launches subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address: ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Twitter #ukhas https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ukhas

Tracks of balloon launches can be seen at http://www.spacenear.us/tracker

Apr 21 2013

‘Bring Your Own Board’ CubeSat Workshop July 19

Surrey Space Centre University of Surrey, Guildford

Surrey Space Centre
University of Surrey, Guildford

Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and AMSAT-UK invite anyone with CubeSat equipment to a ‘Bring Your Own Board’ (BYOB) workshop. The aims are to demonstrate your latest CubeSat developments, to foster new partnerships and links within the UK and EU community, and encouraging more interaction with AMSAT-UK and the Colloquium (more info at: https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/colloquium-2013/).

Poster Stands (if required)

Poster Stands (if required)

The workshop is free to attend or present. Opening times are 9 AM to 4 PM, after which there will be the AMSAT-UK Satellite Beginners Session. There will be ad-hoc tours to SSC’s new cleanroom, ground-station, and CubeSat experimentation facilities.

Information for Demonstrators:
• Must have working hardware for demonstrating to visitors, i.e. TRL 5-6 and above.
• Provide a 1 slide overview of their developments & how it can benefit new UK missions for public show.
• A 1.5 m table, power and 1 m poster area will be provided.

Sign up: If you are interested in attending or demonstrating, please contact Dr Chris Bridges M6OBC to guarantee you a table and to estimate numbers.
Email: c.p.bridges@surrey.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689137, Surrey Space Centre, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, U.K. Website: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ssc

Download poster here.

Key Dates for your diary:
UK Space Agency Conference: 16-17 July 2013
Bring Your Own Boards Workshop: 19 July 2013
AMSAT-UK Colloquium 2013: 20-21 July 2013

STRaND-1 Engineering Model and Cleanroom

STRaND-1 Engineering Model and Cleanroom

Apr 11 2013

April Issue of RocketSTEM Available Online

Rocket STEM 2013-04The April 2013 issue of the RocketSTEM Media Foundation Magazine is now available online.

April’s issue will give you interesting facts about Mars Curiosity, Skylab and Yuri Gagarin and much more. Pages 48-49 cover Yuri’s Night which takes place April 12.

RocketSTEM Media Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization established for the purpose of fostering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as well as promoting the benefits of space exploration. The new monthly digital magazine with content geared towards teachers, students and parents as well, blends space history – past, present and future – with interviews, career paths, astronomy guide, aerospace and astronomy news, museum features, NASA technology spinoffs, puzzles, games, quizzes, lesson plans and other educational resources, along with easy-to-follow explanations of the mathematics and physics of all things to do with aerospace and space travel.

Read the April issue of RocketSTEM at
http://issuu.com/rocketstem/docs/rocketstem_issue_2_spring_2013

RocketSTEM http://issuu.com/rocketstem

Apr 6 2013

AMSAT Life Member VK4PJ is 100 on April 13

Flag_of_AustraliaThe WIA is pleased to announce that Peter Brown VK4PJ will attain 100 years of age on Saturday, April 13.

It is believed by his friends that  Peter was first licensed in the early 1950’s . There is  evidence that he was issued with Amateur Radio licence QA.244 on 12 May 1963 so we can say with some certainty that he  has been licensed  for well over 50 years.

He  received a Meritorious Service Badge in 1978 from the Queensland Divisional Council  of the WIA following a sustained effort to bring the Division into a good financial and administrative position with the assistance of his great friend Al Carter VK4LT, now resident on the Sunshine Coast.

Peter also received certificates from QNEWS in 2001 and 2002 for his assistance in this area of the hobby.

His interest in space communication is evidenced by becoming AMSAT Life Member Number 1130 in 1979.

All in all Peter’s contribution to our hobby has been sustained and substantial and he is congratulated for a job well done.

Happy Birthday

Laurie Murray VK4LO

Source: WIA Weekly News

Mar 22 2013

Tania in Space Comic Book

Tania in Space

Tania in Space

The French language version of the European Space Agency (ESA) website reports the latest in the series of comic books about the Adventures of Tania in Space was published on March 22, 2013.

ESA report that as well as the adventures of Tania the 176 page publication features articles on space and is prefaced by several astronauts such as Frank De Winne, Dirk Frimout, Jean-François Clervoy and Jean-Pierre Haigneré of ESA and even Pamela Melroy and Piers Sellers of NASA.

ESA report on the new comic book http://tinyurl.com/TaniaInSpaceESA

The comic book is published by Editions Joker http://www.editions-joker.com/

Space adventures of Tania http://tinyurl.com/SpaceAdventuresOfTania

Mar 18 2013

Radio Amateur G3YJO in ADS Advance Magazine

ADS Advance magazine pages 32-33 March-May 2013

ADS Advance magazine pages 32-33 March-May 2013

Professor Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO is interviewed on pages 32-34 of the March-May 2013 issue of the free UK magazine for the Aviation, Defence, Security and Space industries ADS Advance.

You can read the March-May 2013 issue online or download it as a PDF file at http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/issue1/volume3/

ADS Advance archive http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/archives.php