Read AMSAT News for the latest developments in amateur and student satellites and for updates on amateur radio aboard the ISS.
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
Other smallsat and space radio news:
I’ve written about an effort to reconnect with the 36 year old International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISSE) spacecraft and direct it back to its original solar science mission:
Dennis Wingo (Skycorp) gives the background of the spacecraft and explains that since NASA has no funding to reconnect with it, a volunteer project is underway to do it : The International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3) Reboot Project, Bringing an Old Bird Back to the Earth, and Back to Life – Watts Up With That?
There is now a crowd-funding campaign to support the project:
The idea is a simple one: contact the ISEE-3, tell it to fire its engine, and get it into a stable Earth orbit. Once there, it can resume operations, collecting data for its original mission as well as potentially chasing more comets. NASA approves of the project in principle, but unfortunately, the agency doesn’t have the funds to support it financially, thanks to budget cuts and changing priorities. However, the project has brought together a large team of NASA scientists, coders, and engineers, and they have access to a radio telescope that can communicate with ISEE-3.
The project needs $125,000 to carry out its mission. This money will fund the very difficult task of figuring out how to use today’s technology to communicate with a spacecraft built over 35 years ago. The original hardware for ISEE-3’s communication capabilities no longer exists, so the team will have to recreate a virtual version from scratch,but ISEE-3 is in very good, and knowledgeable, hands: several members of the team are responsible for the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project, which also depended on harnessing obsolete technology.
This video shows the orbital trajectory change needed:
More info at Space College: ISEE-3 Archives.
The latest live show from Spacevidcast is now available in the archive: SpaceX vs US Air Force – Spacevidcast
Note: They are in the process of transitioning to the new name TMRO, which is pronounced ‘tomorrow’. Go to their Patreon page for more info and to support their spacecast.
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For links to more space related webcast programs, go to HobbySpace SpaceCasts.
Space policy/politics links:
The SETI Institute had a recent event in which their two artists in residence discuss their work: Greater than the Sum. A SETI Artist In Residence Special Event – YouTube
The third installment of the SETI Artist in Residence Program speakers series will feature two authors: Edward Frenkel, professor of mathematics at U.C. Berkeley, and Marc Weidenbaum, whose new book, for the 33 1/3 series, is about the Aphex Twin album Selected Ambient Works Volume II. Frenkel will talk about his recent book, Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality
Weidenbaum will describe his development of a globe-spanning network of hundreds of musicians and sound artists who have participated in the Disquiet Junto, his weekly series of compositional prompts that explore restraint as a creative springboard. Frenkel and Weidenbaum will pose questions to each other at the end, and the evening will be moderated by SETI’s first artist-in-residence, Charles Lindsay.
Greater than the Sum. A SETI Artist In Residence Special Event – YouTube
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