Tag Archives: TechEdSat

Oct 7 2012

FITSAT-1 Update

FITSAT-1 plans to use LED’s to signal in Morse code

The amateur radio CubeSat FITSAT-1 (aka NIWAKA) carries an Optical Communications experiment that aims to write Morse Code across the night sky. The satellite is fitted with a bank of high power LEDs that will be driven with 200W pulses to produce extremely bright flashes that may be visible to the unaided eye.

FITSAT-1 was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) at 15:44 UT on Thursday, October 4 along with F-1 and TechEdSat.

On Sunday, October 7 Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG provided this update:

We have received a lot of signal and telemetry reports from amsat members. All reports show FITSAT-1 starts working and sound. Thank you very much for your help.

We will examine movements, temperatures, and battery states of FITSAT-1 during these 10 days, and start experiments of 5.8GHz transmission and flashing LEDs.

I will announce the experiments on my web-page http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml

As well as 437.250 MHz and 437.445 MHz (both +/- 10 kHz Doppler) this innovative satellite can also transmit on 5840.0 MHz (+/- 134 kHz Doppler).

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Oct 5 2012

NASA Release Amateur Radio CubeSat Deployment Pictures

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

NASA have released photographs of the amateur radio CubeSats TechEdSat, F-1 and FITSAT-1 taken by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS).

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Sep 18 2012

Space is the Place: Student Built Cube Satellites

CubeSats at San Mateo College Makerspace Launch Event

On September 10, the “MENTOR Makerspace” program kicked off with a special event held at the College of San Mateo. The MENTOR Makerspace program has a goal of introducing low-cost makerspaces into 1,000 high schools over the next three years.

NASA’s Matthew Reyes attended the event and in this interview with Tony Wan he explains how students from San Jose State University went from tinkering in their local TechShop to exploring the final frontier.

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Jul 21 2012

CubeSat Launch Success

The HTV-3 cargo vessel carrying five CubeSats blasted off on an H-IIB rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on Saturday, July 21 at 02:06 UT on its way to the International Space Station (ISS).

On July 27 it is scheduled to arrive at the ISS  where it will be grappled by the Expedition 32 crew using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm and attached to the forward end of the Harmony module to begin a stay of just under a month.

Onboard are four amateur radio CubeSats, F-1, We-Wish, FitSat-1 and TechEdSat along with a scientific CubeSat Raiko.

The CubeSats will remain on the ISS until the first week in September when they will be deployed by Japanese astronaut and radio amateur Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI using the ISS Kibo robot arm.

The F-1 CubeSat carries a pair of Yaesu VX-3R handheld transceivers to provide communications on 145.980 MHz and 437.485 MHz FM using AX.25 packet radio data.

FITSAT-1 will carry an Optical Communications experiment that aims to write Morse Code across the night sky, although only when in range of Japan. It will also transmit CW on 437.250 MHz, FM AX.25 data on 437.445 MHz and high speed data on 5840.00 MHz.

We-Wish will transmit  on 437.505 MHz FM AX.25 data.
TechEdSat will transmit on 437.465 MHz and will also communicate via the Iridium and Orbcomm satellite phone networks, a first for a CubeSat.

Watch the launch of the HTV-3

Video of planned deployment of F-1 CubeSat XV1VN from the ISS http://www.uk.amsat.org/8446

F-1 CubeSat on TV http://www.uk.amsat.org/8861

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