Go to AMSAT News for the latest about developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates about amateur radio on the ISS. Here are today’s headlines:
ANS 124 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – May 4, 2014:
* LituanicaSAT-1 FM Transponder Operation Feedback
* BOOK NOW FOR THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM ON 24 MAY
* Eighth Annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Reservations Close May 13th
* UK CubeSat Workshop: Student Research Pitches
* Ham Radio Earth-Moon-Earth Art Event on Google+ Hangout
* HAMSAT – VO-52 Completes 9 Years in Space
* Commercial HDTV Streaming Live from ISS
* AMSAT Office Relocated; Reopens
* AMSAT at the Dayton Hamvention — Last call for volunteers
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
“One consequence of the watchdog reset on KickSat is that the spacecraft’s master clock was reset, thus also setting the deployment countdown for KickSat back to 16 days. That would put the deployment some time in the morning of May 16th. Unfortunately, it looks like KickSat will most likely reenter and burn up before the 16th. We’ve spent the last couple of days here at Cornell trying to think of every possible contingency, but it seems there aren’t very many options right now. KickSat’s uplink radio, which we could use to command the deployment, can’t turn on unless the batteries reach 8 volts, and it doesn’t look like they’ll reach that level in time.
While the situation looks a little bleak, there is still some hope that the batteries may recharge sufficiently to command the satellite. There is also a small chance that KickSat could remain in orbit until the 16th, at which point the timer would set off the deployment as originally planned. We’ll continue tracking KickSat over the next few days with the help of the ham community, so that we can keep track of its battery voltage and the Sprite deployment status.”
On Thursday the OPTICKS project bounced off the Moon radio transmissions of images of art from the Humans in Space student art contest. While this was happening, the participants in the Google+ hangout GAM AstroArt: Touching the Moon with Art & Footsteps discussed the project and other aspects of the intersection of science, space and art. Here is a video of the event:
The guests included:
Andrew Chaikin is the author of Man on the Moon and From Earth to the Moon.
Wendell Mendell is a retired NASA lunar and planetary exploration scientist.
Sarah Nobel is a current NASA lunar scientist and artist.
Frank Shiner is a winner of both the 2010 and 2012 Humans in Space Youth Art Competitions.
Jan van Muijlwijk, OPTICKS collaborator, radio operator, CAMRAS/Dwingeloo radio telescope.
Daniela De Paulis is the visual artist and researcher who developed the OPTICKS live performance technology in collaboration with the Dwingeloo radio telescope.
Jancy McPhee is the director of the Humans in Space Art Program, which includes the Youth Art Competition Project in its portfolio.
Mike Simmons, host, and director of Astronomers without Borders
Pamela Gay, producer, and Principle Investigator of CosmoQuest
ANS 117 Weekly AMSAT Bulletin – April 27, 2014:
* AMSAT-NA Office Relocation Underway
* 2014 AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Notice
* GS3PYE/P Isle of Lewis Operations Start April 26
* Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton
* ARISS News
* Successful launch of KickSat carrying 104 Sprite satellites
* Space-X Dragon Cargo Craft set to dock with ISS
* KickSat Project Announces Telemetry Download Competition
* Space-X supply ship begins journey to space station
* The STELAR Project 2014
* KickSat launch postponed until Friday
* Video of ISS HamTV – Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA April 13, 2014
* Upcoming AMSAT Events
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts from All Over