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K5ARH > SAREX 04.07.97 23:44l 103 Lines 4452 Bytes #-10408 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : STS-94.007
Read: GUEST OE7FMI
Subj: STS-94 SAREX Bulletin 7
Path: DB0RGB<DB0MAK<DB0SON<DB0SIF<DB0AIS<DB0NDK<DB0ACH<ON4RAT<ON1ANR<PI8HWB<
ON6AR<F6CNB<WU3V<WB0TAX<K5ARH
Sent: 970704/2013z @:K5ARH.#LFT.LA.USA.NOAM #:41368 $:sts-94.007
Silver Spring, Maryland USA
Friday, July 4, 1997 @ 1600 UTC
Initial Contacts Successful
The crew has great enthusiasm for the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment
(SAREX) on STS-94. Case in point, MS3 Don Thomas, KC5FVF, set up the
orbiting ham shack and completed nineteen random contacts BEFORE the
"official" scheduled test pass.
"Columbia was calling CQ as they passed over the tip of Baja Cali-
fornia. Don said I was the first contact with Columbia. Elevation
here was only two degrees, but the signals were Q5 at 1629z" reported
Dave Guimont, WB6LLO, via the SAREX e-mail list on Wednesday, July 2.
This morning, the students of Crittenden Middle School of Mountain
View, California quizzed CDR Jim Halsell, KC5RNI, via the AMSAT
Telebridge Network through Gordon Williams, VK6IU, in Western
Australia. Five questions were asked and answered. The students
chanted in closing, "Happy Independence Day, Columbia!"
Just yesterday, the Mountain View youths slated to speak with the
astronaut met NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. Mr. Goldin was in town
for the dedication ceremony of the new teacher's resource center at
the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field.
Also yesterday, the first two of seventeen schools successfully
interviewed MS1 Janice Voss, KC5BTK, and MS2 Dr. Michael Gernhardt,
respectively. Edgewater High School of Orlando, Florida made a
direct contact on Orbit 32 using station KF4DKF set up at the
school. AMSAT Representative Will Marchant, KC6ROL, reported
from Houston, "Edgewater HS had a very nice contact with twelve
questions asked and answered." Kai Siwiak, KE4PT, was their
AMSAT Technical Mentor in the months leading up to the contact.
Through NASA channels, the crew asked the Lexington Traditional
Magnet School (callsign AE4PD) in Lexington, Kentucky if they would
be willing to "try it again" after a frustrated initial attempt.
The results were better on the following Rev 34 through telebridge
ground station N6IZW in San Diego. Dave Sublette, K4TO, for the
school commented, "Most folks don't realize how much work you
[NASA, AMSAT and ARRL] put into SAREX. Thank you!"
Late aquisition of signal was observed recently when the orbiter
attitude was roughly "tail down, main engines forward" and the
SAREX antenna in Window 1 (far leftmost from the pilot/commander
seat perspective). If you don't hear Columbia shortly after
your predicted rise time then patiently continue monitoring
throughout the pass. Remember too that the crew is quite busy
with the primary experiments.
At 11:35 AM 7/3/97 +0200, Raoul IK0RCY wrote:
>Have you notice if Sarex Robot is operational for packet contacts?
You probably won't see packet on STS-94 for another week or
more, if at all. See SAREX bulletin number 1, $STS-94.001
dated June 30, 1997 @ 2010 UTC, for more details.
We all hope to see the Robot on this mission. After all, this is
the last mission to carry SAREX for over a year. Next manifest is
STS-93 in August 1998. - WD8LAQ
Here is Columbia's latest orbital set from Gil Carman, WA5NOM, at
the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.
STS-94
1 24849U 97032A 97185.37459607 .00061012 00000-0 32416-3 0 9066
2 24849 28.4704 1.2542 0003252 357.0705 3.0053 15.90382720 432
Satellite: STS-94
Catalog number: 24849
Epoch time: 97185.37459607 = yrday.fracday
Element set: 906
Inclination: 28.4704 deg
RA of node: 1.2542 deg
Eccentricity: .0003252
Arg of perigee: 357.0705 deg
Mean anomaly: 3.0053 deg
Mean motion: 15.90382720 rev/day
Decay rate: 6.10120E-04 rev/day^2
Epoch rev: 43
Checksum: 277
Having settled into a comfortable pace in their on orbit home,
Columbia's astronauts are continuing their around-the-clock efforts
with the experiments being flown as part of the Microgravity Science
Laboratory payload. With no significant Shuttle system issues being
worked, the crew has been able to devote all of its efforts toward
the science objectives of the STS-94 flight.
ADDENDUM: Roy Neal, K6DUE, notes that his Mir Update released by
Newsline and other outlets recently was a product of his research.
The interviews with Mir astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and quotes
mentioned in SAREX Bulletin 2 should have been attributed to Dave
Larsen, N6CO; Miles Mann, WF1F; and Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL.
Submitted by Pat Kilroy, WD8LAQ, for Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, and the
SAREX Working Group.
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