[amsat-bb] AO40 contacts and P3-E

[Peter Guelzow]

Hi All,

> You guys are making me all teary-eyed!  I loved that bird, especially for all the "challenges" it presented.  

Ughh..      this really hit's me hard and I'm getting very sentimental
reading all email's to this topic.
But it gives me also

The launch campaign in french Guiana, were I was staying in Kourou for
more than quarter of the year, and the re-birth of AO-40 on Christmas
were the most exciting days in my life.

I haven't made many contacts, I was more among the "listeners" and
enjoyed the fun.

It's sometimes very frustrating to me that 10 years after the launch of
AO-40 we still haven't got P3-E into orbit.
We have been going to many up's and down's during this time, but we are
not giving up.
There are new challenges we are working on presently and some of them
give us a good hope of success.
Indeed and I'm sorry for that, It has been very quiet about the progress
of P3-E in the last year.
While most mechanical work is done, there was also progress on the
electronics, mostly the IHU. 
However, one of the biggest challenges is indeed funding and a launch we
can afford.
That's where we a concentrating most of our efforts and time at the moment

Indeed, we need the support of the community. There will only a P3-E, if
we all really want it..

If you want to support P3-E, than please visit
http://www.p3e-satellite.org/?lang=en_EN and make a direct donation to
the project - THANKS!

73s Peter, DB2OS

Peter Gülzow
President AMSAT-DL