[amsat-bb] MSFC's WA4NZD confirms ejection of NanoSail-D sub-satellite

[Alan Sieg WB5RMG]

For immediate release: 19 January 2011 Huntsville, AL USA


The Marshall Amateur Radio Club (@ MSFC) - WA4NZD late Wednesday afternoon
confirmed ejection of the NanoSail-D sub-satellite. This loaf-of-bread sized
spacecraft was carried to orbit late last year on an Air Force rocket as part
of NASA's FastSat project. This is the first successful deployment of a
satellite, launched from a satellite already in orbit .!. The only
communication from the NanoSail-D vehicle is via ham radio with 1200 baud FM
AX25 beacon packets.

The WA4NZD team of N4PMF and WB5RMG, was listening on 437.275 MHz FM with the
NanoSail-D Principal Investigator Dean Alhorn at the club station when the
beacon was heard and susbequently decoded onto the screen. Please visit
http://wa4nzd.wordpress.com for pictures and more links to the NanoSail-D
project. They are asking for telemetry reception reports from all over the
world to help fill in gaps. The battery is expected to last for only three
days.



Thanks  /;^)
-- 
  #  Alan Sieg, WB5RMG since 1976
  #  http://wb5rmg.wordpress.com
  #  http://www.linkedin.com/in/alansieg
  #  wb5rmg(at)amsat(dot)org AMSAT#20554