From: kd2bd@ka2qhd.DE.COM (John Magliacane)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: * SpaceNews 12-Oct-92 *
Date: 10 Oct 1992 12:03:23 -0700
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu


SB NEWS @ AMSAT < KD2BD $SPC1012
* SpaceNews 12-Oct-92 *

Bulletin ID: $SPC1012


                              =========
                              SpaceNews
                              =========


                       MONDAY OCTOBER 12, 1992


SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA.  It
is published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution.


* UNAMSAT-1 NEWS *
==================
UNAMSAT-1, a microsat built by the Autonomous University of Mexico, could
could be aloft via a piggy back launch on a CIS Russian Metsat in December.
What is most interesting about this project is not its microsat digital store
and forward capability, which is of the 1980's  FSK up, PSK down type, but,
its supplementary module featuring a 40 MHz meteor radar.

This meteor radar is a highly ambitious departure.  We know (from IRAS,
and the Euro, Russian, Japanese comet probes) that most meteor trails
are caused by comet dust colliding with the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Anyone who listened to the recent Perseids around 1900 UTC on 11-Aug-92
will know the doppler shift on some meteor echoes can be very pronounced.
Doppler can tell us in an indirect way, the minimum speed at which the
comet dust/meteor was travelling as it hit the ionosphere.  In this way we
may be able to get a good answer to a question which has interested Comet
Watchers for centuries: "Do all comets coming around the Sun at perihelion
originate in our Solar System?".

The general theory that comets are formed in the outer "frozen" edges of
our solar system and perhaps other star systems, calls for disturbance of
this edge of system comets, which now and then sends them tumbling
inwards around the center of their star/solar system, or conversely
causes them to leave their star/solar system and perhaps eventually
enter a different star/solar system.

In theory, any comet whose orbit is parabolic or hyperbolic (as opposed to
the closed elliptical orbit of say, Comet Halley), could be a stray from a
star system other than our own.  But, orbit determination when eccentricity
is near 1 or greater is notoriously difficult to obtain.  However, if we get
meteor reflections whose doppler indicates a meteor velocity greater than
the escape velocity from our solar system, then we may just possibly be
able to suggest that it might have of extra-solar origin.  Hence the
attraction of UNAMSAT-1 which will use DSP techniques and report received
meteor trail echos to Earth by AX25 telemetry.

Please note in addition that one does not need to be a G3IOR, to see two
other possible features of this exciting experiment.

1. You will probably be able to "Ping steal" on this meteor radar, i.e.
trigger your scope time base on the pulse transmitted by the satellite,
then watch the scope trace for echoes (your own private meteor radar!).

2. You will be able to use the 40 MHz pulses from UNAMSAT as a super
downward sounding probe of the ionosphere, at all angles of penetration
of the ionosphere.

So whether you want another store and forward bird, or a stunningly
original experiment, UNAMSAT-1 should have what you're looking for.

[Info from "Satgen 180" by GM4IHJ 05-Sep-92]


* FO-20 NEWS *
==============
A software reload was completed on 30-Sep-92 at 12:42 UTC, and Mode JD
operation was resumed.

The latest Mode JA analog transponder schedule follows:

14-Oct-92 00:51 UTC -to- 15-Oct-92 01:10 UTC
21-Oct-92 01:15 UTC -to- 22-Oct-92 01:35 UTC
28-Oct-92 01:40 UTC -to- 29-Oct-92 02:00 UTC

[Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK]


* SETI BEINGS TODAY *
=====================
NASA will restart its Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence today by
scanning the heavens for radio signals that might be from life beyond
Earth.  NASA selected the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus'
discovery of the "new world" to restart its SETI program.  Just as a
discovery 500 years ago opened up a whole new world to people in 1492,
so may a SETI contact open a whole new world for us today.


* U5MIR ON STS MISSION *
========================
Cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, and Vladamir Titov have been selected
to fly on the US Space Shuttle next year.  Both Cosmonauts will be arriving
in Houston shortly to begin their training.  At this time, it appears that
Titov will be trained as a back-up in the event Sergei cannot fly on this
mission.  At this time, there has been no word whether U5MIR will operate
Amateur Radio equipment from the Shuttle as he has from the Russian space
station Mir in the past.

[Info via WA2GSY]


* QUAYLE QUOTE *
================
"Mars is essentially in the same orbit.  Mars is somewhat the same distance
from the Sun, which is very important.  We have seen pictures where there
are canals, we believe, and water.  If there is water, there is oxygen.
If oxygen, that means we can breathe."

J. Danforth Quayle, January 1990


* MESSAGES *
============
Thanks to the following who sent feedback to SpaceNews, especially:

DG0MA  OE1HMC  N3NDM  KD4NMH  N5KOB


* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Mail to SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any
of the following paths:

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MAIL     : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
           Department of Engineering and Technology
           Advanced Technology Center
           Brookdale Community College
           Lincroft, New Jersey  07738
           U.S.A.


       <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>

/EX
--
John A. Magliacane                 FAX  : (908) 747-7107
Enginnering & Technology Dept.     AMPR : KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA
Brookdale Community College        UUCP : ...!rutgers!ka2qhd!kd2bd
Lincroft, NJ  07738  USA           VOICE: (908) 842-1900 ext 3607