NASA Breaking News
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A crew of three from around the world are heading into the weekend aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 57 trio from the United States, Russia and Germany studied a variety of space phenomena today including physics, biology and time perception.
Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor joined Commander Alexander Gerst for eye checks first thing Friday morning. The duo then split up for a science-filled day and preparations for the next U.S. cargo mission.
Serena spent most of the day in the Japanese Kibo lab module mixing protein crystal samples and stowing them in an incubator for later analysis. She moved on to a little space gardening for the VEG-03 study before stowing gear that sequences ribonucleic acid, or RNA, from unknown microbes living in the station.
Serena also found time to set up a command panel for communications with a Cygnus cargo craft when it arrives to resupply the station Nov. 18. The resupply ship from U.S. company Northrop Grumman is being packed and readied for launch atop an Antares rocket Nov. 15 at 4:49 a.m. EST. from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Gerst spent over an hour in the European Columbus lab module today researching how astronauts perceive time in space including its physical and mental impacts. The German astronaut from ESA (European Space Agency) also configured a specialized microscope for more protein crystal observations.
Flight Engineer Sergey Prokopyev from Roscosmos continued his week-long research exploring complex plasmas, or ionized gases produced by high temperatures. The Russian experiment may benefit space physics research and improve spacecraft designs. The cosmonaut also swapped fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack to maintain ongoing flame and gas research aboard the station.
Catherine Williams
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ISS
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Fox-1Cliff CubeSat
AMSAT is counting down to the launch of the next Fox-1 satellite, Fox-1Cliff.
Per Spaceflight Now, the launch of Spaceflight’s SSO-A SmallSat Express mission, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, is currently scheduled for November 19, 2018 at 18:32 UTC.
Fox-1Cliff carries the Fox-1 U/v FM repeater, AMSAT’s L-Band Downshifter, the flight spare of the AO-85 Vanderbilt University Low Energy Proton (LEP) radiation experiment, and the standard Fox-1 Penn State University–Erie MEMS gyroscope experiment. Virginia Tech provided a VGA camera which is the same as AO-92’s but will provide images at a higher 640 x 480 resolution. Additional information about the launch and early operations phase (LEOP) will be released prior to launch.
As part of the preparations for the launch of Fox-1Cliff, AMSAT is making the “Getting Started With Amateur Satellites” book available for a limited time as a download with any paid new or renewal membership purchased via the AMSAT Store. This offer is only
available with purchases completed online, and for only a limited time. A perennial favorite, Getting Started is updated every year with the latest amateur satellite information, and is the premier primer of satellite operation. The 186 page book is presented in PDF format, in full color, and covers all aspects of making your first contacts on a ham radio satellite.
Please take advantage of this offer today by visiting the AMSAT store at https://www.amsat.org/shop/ and selecting any membership option.
While there, check out AMSAT’s other items, including the M2 LEOpack antenna system, Arrow antennas, AMSAT shirts, and other swag. Be sure to view your cart before going to checkout. If you add a membership and then go directly to checkout, you’ll never see an option to add your free gift.
Fox-1Cliff is named in honor of long-time AMSAT member, contributor, and benefactor Cliff Buttschardt, K7RR (SK), who passed away in 2016. Cliff’s contributions to AMSAT and other amateur satellite programs, including serving as an adviser during the initial development of the CubeSat specification at California Polytechnic State University, earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award from Project OSCAR in 2006.
Source AMSAT News Service https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/ans
m5aka
AMSAT-UK
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Es’hail-2 coverage area
The satellite Es’hail-2 carrying amateur radio transponders is expected to be launched into a geostationary orbit in the next few days, see https://amsat-dl.org/p4-a-eshail-2-launches-in-a-few-days
AMSAT-DL say the launcher does not go directly into geostationary orbit, several orbital maneuvers are necessary, the satellite will then enter the commissioning phase which may take several months.
AMSAT-DL would be pleased to receive as many reception reports as possible, but they would like to ask urgently that transmission attempts are only made after the official release. Transmission attempts before a release only hinder the commissioning and could lead to delays.
Space Flight Now launch schedule https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
Read an article on the Es’hail-2 transponders at
http://rsgb.org/main/files/2018/11/7.1x_AMSAT-UK_Eshail-2_Transponder_Info.pdf
Es’hail-2 and its Amateur Radio payload by Graham Shirville G3VZV and Dave Crump G8GKQ
More videos from the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, part of the RSGB Convention, held at Milton Keynes Oct 13-14, are now available on the AMSAT-UK YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/AMSATUK/videos
m5aka
AMSAT-UK
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Videos of the presentations given at the 2018 William A. Tynan W3XO Memorial Space Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday/Saturday November 2/3 are now available
Schedule of symposium presentations https://www.amsat.org/call-for-papers/
Watch Friday, November 2
Watch Saturday, November 3
m5aka
AMSAT-UK
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