[amsat-bb] ANS-019 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

[E.Mike McCardel]

AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-019

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor-
mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space
including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur
Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building,
launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio
satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur
Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
ans-editor at amsat.org.

In this edition:

* ARRL Features Bringing Space into the Classroom
* The Pragmatic Guide for Using the FUNCube Materials Science
  Experiment in the Classroom
* SA AMSAT Invites Educational Payload Proposals
* PhoneSat 2.4 Ham Radio CubeSat
* UK CubeSat programme in New Electronics
* Peter Portanova W2JV To be Active on Satellites as W1AW/2
* Deorbitsail CubeSat
* 2014 Eastern VHF-UHF-Microwave Conference -- April 11-13
* FUNcube-1 in Practical Wireless Magazine
* ARISS News
* Satellite Shorts From All Over


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-019.01
ANS-019 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 019.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
DATE January 19, 2014
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-019.01


ARRL Features "Bringing Space into the Classroom"

Bringing space into the classroom is an incredibly powerful learning
experience for students. The marriage between wireless technology
literacy and space literacy is a strong one that produces a portfolio
of activities that can engage virtually all students at some ability
and interest level.

The portfolio of activities can range from simply having a satellite
prediction software package running in the back of the classroom on
an old, salvaged computer, a simple receiver to collect telemetry
data from orbiting satellites, to a full-up ground station to
communicate with other hams via satellites, or even with the
astronauts in the International Space Station through the ARISS
(Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) program.

New Resources for Classroom Instruction

For an overview of recent additions of classroom resources designed
to help teachers instruct students about research projects to be
launched by AMSAT on its Fox satellites, view a video of a
presentation by Mark Spencer, WA8SME at the 2013 AMSAT Symposium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl8HCBEGv4Q

This library is a collection of resources designed for teachers who
want to explore satellite communications with students. There are
also instructional resources designed for classroom exploration of
satellite telemetry data used to understand satellite engineering and
research deployed on satellites. The classroom resources are
manipulatives that can prepare students to understand and utilize
live telemetry data that can be captured from orbiting satellites.
The collection includes

+ Satellite Antenna Rotor Simulator
+ CubeSat Classroom Simulator
+ Study Satellite "Wobble" Using Telemetry Data
+ Managing Satellite Power: A Study in Maximum Power Point Tracking
+ MAREA: Mars Lander Simulation
+ Using FUNCube to do Materials Science in the Classroom
+ Studying Satellite Rotation

In the interest of supporting teachers who want to bring space into
the classroom by actively engaging students with amateur radio
satellite communications, the Education Technology Program has
developed some equipment resources designed with utility to support
ham radio satellite operations for classroom use.

+ Satellite Tracker Interface
+ ISS Minimalist Antenna
+ ISS Minimalist Antenna, UHF Version
+ Inexpensive Broadband Preamp for Satellite Work
+ Inexpensive “WRAPS” Rotor for Satellite Work

For more information visit
http://www.arrl.org/classroom-library-satellite-communications

This information nicely supplements other ARRL Educational
Information.

The ARRL Educational & Technology Program Curriculum Guide
http://www.arrl.org/curriculum-guide

Reports on classroom activities
http://www.arrl.org/reports-on-classroom-activities

Amateur Radio Curriculum Connections
http://www.arrl.org/curriculum-connections-and-benchmarks

and other articles and stories that describe the classroom
activities of students
http://www.arrl.org/articles-and-stories

[ANS thanks Debra Johnson K1DMJ and the ARRL for the above
information]


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The Pragmatic Guide for Using the FUNCube Materials Science
Experiment in the Classroom

A guide to supplement the FUNCube Handbook
(http://funcube.org.uk/), produced by AMSAT-UK, has been authored to
provide some practical advice to interested hams and classroom
teachers on how to access and use the Materials Science Experiment
(MSE) on-board the satellite. "The Pragmatic Guide for Using the
FUNCube Materials Science Experiment in the Classroom" was prepared
by ARRL Education & Technology Program Director
Mark Spencer WA8SME

"The Guide" can be downloaded by visiting this web page on the ARRL
web site:

http://www.arrl.org/classroom-library-satellite-communications

On this page you will find the Guide and other useful information
that has been developed for teachers interested in using space
technology in their classrooms.

There are six chapters included in the Guide, this article provides
only a summary glimpse of the material. If this summary peaks your
interests, or you think the Guide may contain material that your club
or local teacher could use, take a closer look.

The first chapter of the Guide includes a brief overview of the MSE
and a basic refresher of thermodynamics. The primary mission of the
FUNCube is education and the MSE is the focus of that mission. There
are actually two different experiments included in the MSE, one using
the thermally isolated aluminum bars mounted on one of the satellite
faces, the other using four aluminum bars mounted as part of the
satellite body in the corners of the cube. The data collected by the
MSE is transmitted via a two-meter data link and decoded and
displayed by an AMSAT-UK software package called the Dashboard.

Collecting the data is only part of the education mission, the other
and more meaningful part is interpreting the data. Interpreting data
starts with a thermodynamics refresher. In the broadest terms,
thermodynamics is the study of how heat moves from one place to
another. The amount of heat energy that is absorbed by, or radiated
from, a material depends on material’s temperature, the temperature
of the surroundings, and the emissivity of the material. The purpose
of the FUNCube MSE is to allow students to witness heat transfer by
radiation first hand in an environment (space) where convection and
conduction are not present.

The second chapter discusses how to access the FUNCube telemetry
using a typical VHF all-mode receiver (the FUNCube Dongle (SDR) is
not covered in the Guide). A simple interface circuit between the
receiver audio and the sound card is illustrated. There is a lengthy
discussion of the minimum antenna required to receive usable FUNCube
telemetry data. It is suggested that a minimum of 50 frames of
telemetry data are required to develop a usable data set from
directly received telemetry. The performances of various simple
antennas, with and without preamps, are compared against this goal of
receiving 50 frames of telemetry data.

The third chapter presents an affordable Leslie’s Cube experiment
set up that you can duplicate. The Leslie’s Cube experiment allows
students to explore the concept of emissivity and how that property
affects the ability of a material to radiate heat energy (MSE is a
space borne equivalent of the Leslie’s Cube experiment).

Alternatively, the fourth chapter presents an inexpensive MSE In-
class Simulator experiment that can be easily and affordably
duplicated for demonstrating the thermodynamics of heat absorption.
The simulator uses simple aluminum bars that are coated with black
paint and shiny aluminum foil to simulate the MSE panel bars in the
FUNCube. Thermistors are mounted in the bars to measure the
temperatures of the bars as they are exposed to a heat source, and
then as they cool when the heat source is removed. By manipulating
the heat source (i.e., turning it on and off at different rates),
conditions on orbit can be simulated in the classroom and the
students can evaluate the results. This installment produced the
greatest surprise results of the whole Guide effort and proved to be
instrumental in interpreting the real FUNCube MSE data.

The fifth chapter presents a number of examples how to interpret the
MSE data, and this is the most important section of the Guide. There
is a disconnect between the whole-orbit-data that is received from
the FUNCube and what is expected when considering basic
thermodynamics. This disconnect is evaluated, discussed, and
speculated on at length in this section. Data generated from the
Leslie’s Cube presented in installment three, and from the MSE In-
class Simulator presented in installment four are used to speculate
about and try to explain the observed behavior of the MSE bars on-
orbit. The content of the fifth chapter will be controversial, but at
the same time thought provoking and could possibly stimulate a lot of
classroom discussion.

The final chapter simply presents additional ideas and explorations
that could be used in the classroom to take the FUNCube MSE to a
whole new, and unintended level.

On the ARRL web page where the Guide is located, you will also find
some additional material that might be of interest. For example,
there are some video clips and other graphic materials that you can
use to help explain how passive, fixed magnets are used in a cubesat
to align the Z-axis of the satellite along the lines of the Earth’s
magnetosphere to optimize antenna orientation toward Earth. These
visual aids might encourage students take a closer look at the
telemetry data from FUNCube to see if they can detect the effects of
these magnets in action.

“I know there is an ongoing discussion of the value of cubesat
telemetry when compared to transponder operations,” Spencer says.
“[Y]ou just might find that an occasional look at the telemetry will
help you better understand satellites and make you a better satellite
operator.” He goes on to state that the FUNcube MSE is “an
exceptional educational resource,” and he praised AMSAT-UK’s efforts.
“It’s now our turn to gain as much as we can from their efforts, and
I hope the Guide will help you get started.”

The guide can be directly downloaded at the following link
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/FUNCube%20Guide.pdf

[ANS thanks Mark Spencer WA8SME and the ARRL for the above
information]


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SA AMSAT Invites Educational Payload Proposals

The South African Amateur Radio Satellite Association SA AMSAT is
inviting schools and universities to submit proposals for an education
project for inclusion in their CubeSat satellite current being
developed.

SA AMSAT is building a small satellite with a 20 kHz transponder to
offer amateur radio enthusiasts on the African continent an
opportunity to experience space communications.  "We believe this is
an ideal opportunity to include an educational project that will be of
interest to learners to promote Science and Technology based
activities", Hannes Coetzee who leads the project said.

"Space is a magical subject and attracts the attention of many young
people even those who may not have shown an interest in science as a
subject at school or as a past time. Combining Amateur Radio with
Space doubles the attraction."

"While the satellite will carry a telemetry beacon which report on the
health of the satellite and provides interesting opportunities for
learners to acquire more knowledge about space, we believe that a
student designed project will add the additional magic."
Proposals for a project are invited from high Schools and
Universities. The most interesting proposal received will be
considered for inclusion in the satellite. The criteria for judging
includes originality and once operating from space the amount of
interest it is likely to draw from young people.

"It should also be noted that the project needs to be small enough to
fit in with the rest of the equipment of the 10x10x10 cm CubeSat and
draw as little as power as possible."

"I believe this an ideal opportunity for a school's science club to
take a project into space and to be able to monitor information about
their project included in the spacecraft telemetry string."

Proposals should be documented as comprehensively as possible and be
emailed to SA AMSAT at saamsat at intekom.co.za. The closing date for
proposals is 28 February 2014.

[ANS thanks SARL News in English for 1/18/2014 for the above
information]


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PhoneSat 2.4 Ham Radio CubeSat

Jan Stupl provides an update on PhoneSat 2.4 which was part of  the
ORS3 / Elana 4 launch from the Wallops Flight Facility on November
19, 2013

By now there are TLEs at space-track for all 29 objects of that
launch (NORAD ID 39380 – 39409), but only five of them have been
identified on space-track.

The PhoneSat team thinks that 39381 is theirs, but 39402, 39400 and
39397 are also (less likely) possibilities. Because the satellites
are still close, using the radio beacon for identification is
somewhat ambiguous. Getting more observations would be very helpful
for everybody on that launch.

You find all information about the 437.425 MHz PhoneSat 2.4 on the
phonesat.org website and people can submit received packets as well,
and comment which TLE they used. The latter is obviously important to
gain confidence on the assigned TLEs.

PhoneSat 2.4
http://www.phonesat.org/

Minotaur-1 ELaNa-4 Satellites
http://amsat-uk.org/satellites/elana-4-cubesats/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information]


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UK CubeSat programme in New Electronics

"New Electronics" has a feature on the UK CubeSat programme and the
amateur radio UKube-1 satellite which it says should be launched from
Kazakhstan on March 27, 2014

The article says:

Caroline Harper is a programme manager at the UK Space Agency and
one programme that comes under her wing is UKube-1.

CubeSats can also have a role in education, as Harper pointed out.
“We have a payload called FUNCube, which will allow kids in schools
to download real housekeeping data from the spacecraft almost in real
time and to do their own experiments on that data. We hope that will
encourage interest in STEM subjects.”

FUNcube was developed entirely by volunteers at the amateur radio
organisation AMSAT-UK. TOPCAT, meanwhile, is a payload that will
measure the regions of space just beyond the Earth’s atmosphere – the
ionosphere and plasmasphere – in order to help GPS users by
monitoring and subsequently reacting to variable space weather
conditions that adversely affect the Global Positioning System. The
payload will consist of a specialised dual frequency GPS receiver
that is suitable for operation in the space environment. The
development has been led by a postgraduate at the University of Bath,
with support from Chronos Technology, RAL and MSSL.

Read the article at
http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-emerging-opportunities

In addition to the educational telemetry beacon the FUNcube boards
on UKube-1 will also provide a 435/145 MHz linear transponder for
SSB/CW communications.

UKube-1 communications subsystem:
• Telemetry downlink 145.840 MHz
• FUNcube subsystem beacon 145.915 MHz 1200 bps BPSK
• 400 mW inverting linear transponder for SSB and CW
- 435.080 -435.060 MHz Uplink
- 145.930 -145.950 MHz Downlink
• 2401.0 MHz S Band Downlink
• 437.425-437.525 MHz UKSEDS myPocketQub Downlink

March launch for UKube-1 and TechDemoSat-1
http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-UKube-1

The UK CubeSat Forum
http://amsat-uk.org/2013/12/19/announcing-the-uk-cubesat-forum/

[ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information]


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Peter Portanova W2JV To be Active on Satellites as W1AW/2

Peter Portanova W2JV will be active on all the amateur satellites
from 1/22 - 1/28 as W1AW/2 as part of the W1AW Portable Operations,
ARRL Centennial QSO Party

The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS" operations are taking place
throughout 2014 from each of the 50 states, relocating each Wednesday
(UTC) to a new pair of states (this week, Nebraska and Delaware.
Listen for W1AW/0 and W1AW/3). During 2014 W1AW will be on the air
from every state at least twice and from most US territories, and it
will be easy to work all states solely by contacting W1AW portable
operations.

[ANS thanks Peter W2JV former WB2OQQ for the above information]


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Deorbitsail CubeSat

Students and researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) in the
University of Surrey, Guilford, are developing the 3U CubeSat
Deorbitsail. It is planned to launch on a Dnepr rocket into a 600 km
Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The aims of the mission are:

(1) Deploy a large (5-by-5-metre) square Kapton sail.

(2) Deorbitsail is equipped with 3-axis-stabilizing attitude
determination and control system. A novel capability of this system
is pointing via Centre-Of-Mass / Centre-Of-Pressure (COM/COP) offset.

(3) The satellite will deorbit much more quickly than otherwise due
to its deployable sail. Satellite pointing will be optimized by the
attitude control system for maximum drag.

(4) The satellite will provide beacons which radio amateurs will be
able to receive. The ISIS UHF/VHF radio will provide a 9600 bps BPSK
downlink on 145.975 MHz.

For further information read DeOrbitSail Nanosatellite Mission
http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-deorbitsail

DeorbitSail: A Spacecraft Mission to deploy sails in Space
http://www.athena-spu.gr/projects/DeOrbit

Kapton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapton

Deorbitsail: a deployable sail for de-orbiting by Olive R. Stohlman,
University of Surrey and Vaios Lappas, University of Surrey
http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2013-1806

Inspection of a co-orbital solar sail using a microthruster attitude
control system
http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-microthruster-attitude

Open access to latest research output from Surrey Space Centre
http://amsat-uk.org/2013/06/19/open-access-to-ssc-research/

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]


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2014 Eastern VHF-UHF-Microwave Conference -- April 11-13

The 40th Eastern VHF-UHF-MW Conference will be held the weekend
before Easter. The 2014 event will be held at the same hotel as it
was in 2013.
On-line Registration will be available very soon at:
http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html

40th ANNUAL EASTERN VHF/UHF/MICROWAVE CONFERENCE
Fri./Sat./Sun. April 11-12-13 2014
BAYMONT INN & SUITES,
20 Taylor St., Manchester, CT 06042
(just a few miles northeast of Hartford, CT off I-84, at Exit 63)

FRIDAY--6pm to ?--SUPER HOSPITALITY ROOM & INDOOR SWAP

SATURDAY--8am to 5pm--Presentations & Indoor Vendors
7pm-- BANQUET BUFFET, Tom Kirby Award Presentation,
Banquet Speaker, Trivia Quiz by Dave Olean K1WHS, Door Prizes

SUNDAY
8am--SWAP/TAILGATE in Parking Lot

The Baymont Room rates will be the same as last year
......Double $69.00, Suites $99.00

Registration $25 before April 1, $30 after April 1 and at the door
Banquet $28. Must order banquet before April 1.
On-line Registration will be available very soon at:
http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html

We are still looking for your interesting presentation!
Want to give a Presentation and/or have something for the Proceedings?
Please email Paul Wade, W1GHZ, W1GHZ at arrl dot net

Sponsored by: North East Weak Signal Group (NEWS)
Questions?
Email Mark, K1MAP: map1 at mapinternet.com
or Contact one of the Conference Co-Chairs:
Mark K1MAP, (hospitality, hotel, swaps/vendors)
Ron, WZ1V, (registration, website, test session)
Paul, W1GHZ, (presentations, proceedings)

Check: www.newsvhf.com for updates--MORE TO COME!

[ANS thanks Eastern VHF/UHF Society and the North East Weak Signal
Group for the above information]


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FUNcube-1 in Practical Wireless Magazine

In the February issue of Practical Wireless, the Data Modes column,
written by Mike Richards G4WNC, devotes three pages to describing how
to receive the signals from the FUNcube-1 (AO-73) satellite

The World of VHF column by Tim Kirby G4VXE also covers FUNcube-1 and
what is believed to be the first contact between Cuba and the UK on
the FO-29 satellite. The contact took place on October 19, 2013
between Hector Martinez CO6CBF and Peter Atkins G4DOL.

It is understood that postal copies of Practical Wireless can be
purchased using a Debit or Credit card, by ringing +44 (0)1202 751611
Monday – Thursday 8.30am – 4.00pm.

Practical Wireless
http://www.pwpublishing.ltd.uk/?page_id=632

G4WNC Data Modes Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/datamodes

[ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information]


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ARISS News

+ A Successful contact was made between Istituto Tecnico Industriale
"Galileo Ferraris", San Giovanni  Valdarno, Italy and Astronaut
Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using callsign IOR4ISS. The contact began
Wed 2014-01-08 12:21 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes.
Contact was direct via IQ5GX. ARISS Mentor was IKØWGF.

The Technical Institute "Galileo Ferraris" is active on the
territory of the Arno Valley since 1979 and has trained over the
years the engineers of the many industrial enterprises in the area.
The technical institute in fact offers a solid general education and
training of scientific and technical basis necessary for both a rapid
entry into the world of work and the professions and for the
continuation of studies at university . In particular, enables the
student to face the entrance test for the various scientific
disciplines . Its strength lies in teaching laboratory accompanied by
a solid theoretical and scientific .
Branches of study offered the institute is currently divided into
the following specializations:
o Electronics and electrical engineering.
o Chemistry, Materials and Biotechnology
o Data processing and telecommunications
The time is for all specializations of 32 hours per week , spread
over four days per week of five hours (from 8.10 am to 13.10) and two
days a week for six hours (from 8.10 am to 14.10 ).
The school is equipped with several laboratories and a large gym.
Among these, for the two years, we have the laboratories of
Physics, Chemistry, Drawing- CAD, Computer Science, for the three
years, Chemistry, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer
Science, Mathematics, Technology Design and Planning, Automatic
Systems, Information systems .
In addition, the active school every year internships at companies
in the area and technical projects in cooperation with such companies.

+ A Successful contact was made between Zespól Szkól Technicznych,
Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland and Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using
callsign OR4ISS. The contact began Wed 2014-01-08 10:43:57 UTC
and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via
SP3POW. ARISS Mentors were SP3QFE and IN3GHZ.

The Centre of Technical Schools in Ostrów Wielkopolski is a school
which educates future electronics and mechatronics engineers,
computer scientists and renewable energy specialists.

Their school has been cooperating with Polish universities, electronic
and mechatronic industrial plants and schools in Germany and the UK,
which brings very good results. Thanks to the participation in the
ARISS program their school has partnered with the Space Research
Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.

Their students participate in various forms of extra-curricular
activities which develop their passions and interests. As a result,
they have created many interesting electronic and mechatronic
devices. For example, some of the recent constructions include fpv
plane, a quadrocopter, a stratospheric balloon capsule, some amateur
radio equipment and many more.

Currently, the school has 800 students aged 16 - 19 years.

The Center of Technical Schools has invited its younger mates
(students 13 - 15 years old) from Junior High School No. 1 named of
Polish Nobel laureates in Ostrów Wielkopolski and 10 - 12 year-old
students from Pope John Paul II Primary School in Lamki so that they
all can participate in the ARISS program.

Preparations for the ARISS contact began in late 2011. A series of
amateur radio classes were carried out so that students could learn
the rules of work on the radio. It was a very interesting experience
to carry out radio communications through amateur radio satellites
and to take photos from NOAA satellites. In addition, we monitored
other radio signals from space. Most emotions were from the radio
contact with the ISS in the APRS system and from listening to ARISS
contacts of other schools in Poland and Europe.

The schools participating in the ARISS program organized a series of
events to promote various fields of science, particularly those that
are the most relevant for the development of astronautics.

+ A Successful contact was made between Berkeley Middle School,
Williamsburg, VA, USA and Astronaut Michael S. Hopkins KF5LJG using
callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-01-08 18:33 UTC and lasted
about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via K4RC. ARISS
Mentor was K4SQC.

Berkeley Middle School, Williamsburg, VA is one of three middle
schools. There are thirty-six core teachers, sixteen elective
teachers, a gifted and talented teacher, reading specialist, math
specialist, and ten special education teachers. Additionally, there
are three administrators, two school counselors, a Student
Advancement Coach, and media specialist along with support staff.
The student to teacher ratio is 28:1.

Uniquely, the school is one of two located in the City of
Williamsburg, serving students in the city and county.  Over the past
few years, enrollment has steadily increased, which is a direct
reflection of the growth within the community.  At the end of
September 2013, the enrollment was 913 with an even distribution
among its three grade levels (6-8). Berkeley's student population is
approximately 60 percent white, 30 percent black, and 10 percent
identify as other ethnicities such as American Indian, Asian,
Hispanic, etc. Nearly 30 percent of the student population receives
special education services, close to 20 percent are identified as
gifted and talented, and less than 5 percent identify as English
Language Learners (ELL). At Berkeley, 41 percent of the students
qualify for federal free or reduced lunch.

In partnership with parents and community members, Berkeley strives
to foster a safe, caring and supportive learning environment that: a)
knows its population, b) maintains a culture of continuous
improvement, c) maximizes learning time, and d) remains focused and
determined to close the achievement gap.

+ A Successful contact was made between Collège Les Gondoliers, La
Roche sur Yon, France and Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA  using
callsign OR4ISS. The contact began 2014-01-17 09:51 UTC and lasted
about nine and a half minutes. Contact was direct via F6KUF/p.
ARISS Mentor was F6ICS.

Les Gondoliers Secondary School, with its 500 pupils -aged 11-15- is
located in Vendée, 70 km south of the city of Nantes, where famous
Jules Verne author was born . At the end of the last year, the pupils
take an exam called "Diplôme National du Brevet". Their Astronomy Club
has resumed its activities this year with the objective to enter in
contact with the ISS. The starting point has been the visit of the
exhibition "Voyages planétaires" (Planetary spaceflights), in Nantes,
during the International Planetary Science Congress. Various
astronomy and amateur radio activities were organized, with the
help of members of the association of "radioamateurs of Vendée", who
came to their school to display their activities and provide students
with the tools that were necessary to get in contact with the ISS.

+ A Successful contact was made between Wallingford STEM
Academy/Town of Wallingford, Wallingford, CT, USA and Astronaut
Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA using callsign NA1SS. The contact began 2014-01-
18 15:18 UTC and lasted about nine and a half minutes. Contact was
telebridged via K6DUE. ARISS Mentor was W2CYK.

Wallingford STEM Academy is a community based and family oriented
organization that excites students about science, technology,
engineering and mathematics.  This program, previously known as the
Young Astronaut Club of Wallingford and founded in 2000, has been
providing STEM enrichment for students in grades 4 through 8 for over
thirteen years through Wallingford Youth and Social Services.

The Wallingford STEM Academy is a collaborative partnership between
the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW), the Town of Wallingford
Youth and Social Services Department (WYSS), the Wallingford
Education Association (WEA). STEM Academy branches in Wallingford,
and Hamden, are the flagship programs for CEA's STEM Education
Initiative. They currently serve the Spanish Community of Wallingford
(SCOW) and the general population.  40% of their STEM Enrichment
Academy is comprised of students from the Spanish community and 40%
of our students are girls interested in STEM education.  Their weekly
meetings are conducted at the Spanish Community of Wallingford Great
Room and in their STEM Education Classroom next to SCOW.

Since 2005, a companion project to Wallingford STEM Enrichment
Academy is the Wallingford Family Science and STEM Night Series.  At
least twice a month, they organize and implement family oriented
Science and STEM Family Nights in Wallingford.  These events range
from evening programs, daytime vacation programs, hands-on
investigations, assembly style programs, and night sky observations.
The purpose of this organization is to deepen student, and family,
understanding of STEM concepts as a compliment to an existing inquiry
based STEM curriculum in Wallingford.  Their major funders for both
STEM Academy and Wallingford Family STEM Nights are the Wallingford
Rotary Club's Wallingford Foundation, 3M Charitable Contributions and
the Connecticut Education Association.

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule

Marymount University (Fort Belvoir Elem.), Arlington, VA,
telebridge via W6SRJ
Contact is a go for: Fri 2014-01-24  15:06:04 UTC

[ANS thanks ARISS, Charlie AJ9N and David AA4KN for the above
information]


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Satellite Shorts From All Over

+ Cyber-security: Small satellite dish systems called ripe for hacking

  Thousands of small satellite dish-based computer systems that
  transmit often-sensitive data from far flung locations worldwide –
  oil rigs, ships at sea, banks, and even power grid substations – are
  at high risk of being hacked, including many in the United States, a
  new cyber-security report has found.

  Read the full Christian Science Monitor article at:
  http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-cybersecurity

  VSAT terminals are opened for targeted cyber attacks
  http://intelcrawler.com/about/press05

  [ANS thanks Stephen G7VFY and Southgate ARN for the above
   information]

+ Japan to test 'magnetic net' that can fish out floating space junk

  The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) is teaming up with a
  company that manufactures fishing equipment to create a net that
  will sweep the heavens of the man-made debris orbiting our planet.

  See story at
  http://tinyurl.com/ANS019-magnetic-net

  [ANS thanks South China Morning Post for the above information]

+ SatMagazine January 2014 Edition features The Small Satellite
  Surge... Note AMSAT's own Nick Pugh's picture on page 30.

  SatMagazine is available online http://www.satmagazine.com/

+ January 2014 Edition of MilsatMagazine is now online
  http://www.milsatmagazine.com/

+ Andy Thomas G0SJF describes lessons learned about using dashboard
  software etc. from the perspective of an interested science teacher
  using an AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle Software Defined Radio (SDR).

  He says: For those of us about to receive the Kicksat Sprites (when
  launched), and others using RTL dongles, the experience may be
  useful.

  https://sites.google.com/site/andythomasorg/funcube

  [ANS thanks Andy G0SJC and AMSAT-UK for the above information]

+ January 432 and Above EME Newsletter

  The January issue of the free amateur radio 432 MHz and Above EME
  Newsletter is now available

  The Word and PDF formats the newsletter can be downloaded from
  http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm.html

  Previous newsletters are at
  http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/em70cm_arc.html

  [ANS thanks Southgate ARN for the above information]

+ "Wake Up, Rosseta"
  Want to be one of those who helps to "wake up" a sleeping
  comet-chasing ESA space probe??  Well you can.  See information
  at link below:

  http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/tech/rosetta-comet-chaser/

  [ANS thanks Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF and ARNewsline for the above
   information]


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/EX

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining
donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi-
tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT
Office.

Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership
at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students
enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu-
dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership
information.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
EMike McCardel, KC8YLD
kc8yld at amsat dot org