Conference cvg::hamradio_iii

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 002  ARLS002
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  January 24, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS002
ARLS002 Ham-astronauts swap spots aboard Mir

Ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, has become the fourth American
to occupy a position on the Russian Space Station Mir.  Following
the docking of Atlantis to the Russian space station on January 14,
Linenger officially traded places with fellow ham-Astronaut John
Blaha, KC5TZQ, who has since returned to Earth.  ''We're truly in the
space station business,'' said Blaha, who completed 118 days as a Mir
crew member.

Linenger spent his 42nd birthday aboard Mir on January 16.  ''I could
not think of a nicer place to have my birthday,'' he told Dave
Larsen, N6CO, during a packet QSO January 17.  Linenger will remain
aboard the space station until May.

It's not known how active on ham radio Linenger expects to be during
his stay aboard Mir.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 003  ARLS003
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  January 31, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS003
ARLS003 Permission granted for Linenger to ham it up from Mir

US ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, has been granted permission
for general QSOs and scheduled school radio contacts with unlicensed
students and a control operator.

Getting permission involved approval by authorities in the US,
Russia and Germany.  Miles Mann, WF1F, Director of Educational
Services for the Mir International Amateur Radio EXperiment (MIREX),
and Dave Larsen, N6CO, director of the MIREX board, signed an
agreement on behalf of MIREX, while Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, chief of
the Cosmonaut Amateur Radio Department, signed for the Mir Amateur
Radio EXperiment (MAREX), and Joerg Hahn, DL3LUM, international
coordinator, signed for the German Space Amateur Funk EXperiment
(SAFEX) group, which provided the ham equipment aboard Mir.

The FCC also has given approval for Linenger (and for Astronaut
Colin ''Michael'' Foale, KC5UAC--who will take Linenger's place in
May) for general QSOs and third-party traffic with schools, family
and friends.  Linenger recently arrived on Mir via STS-81.

According to Mann, applications for US school QSOs with cosmonauts
are approved by MIREX, based on specific guidelines, before being
sent on to Samburov and SAFEX.  ''The Mir crews  have busy work
schedules, but our guidelines allow us to arrange--months in
advance--school QSOs during crew off hours,'' he explained.  The
Cosmonaut Amateur Radio Department gives final approval for all QSOs
and reserves the right to cancel at any time.  Mir's daily
experiments always have first priority over ham radio.

Because Mir crews now include a US astronaut, SAREX and MIREX have
begun to work together.  Currently the SAREX program has about 80
schools on its waiting list.  To get a Mir school QSO application,
send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Educational Activities
Department, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111.

A word on random QSOs with the Mir space station:  Mir crews make
random voice QSOs only during off hours.  Do not ask the crew to
schedule QSOs, as they do not have the long-term calendar.  The
2-meter Mir frequencies recently were changed:  The uplink frequency
is 145.200 MHz and the downlink is 145.800 MHz.  This change
resulted from a recommendation from IARU Region 1 (Europe).  Please
do not ask the crew about it, as the crew does not set policy on
frequencies.
NNNN
/EX

From: [email protected]
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Small Fire Extinguished on Mir
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 15:32:45 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <[email protected]>

Brian Welch
Headquarters, Washington, DC                    February 24, 1997
(Phone:  202/358-1600)

Rob Navias
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  281/483-5111)

RELEASE:  97- 30

SMALL FIRE EXTINGUISHED ON MIR

     A problem with an oxygen-generating device on the Mir space 
station last night set off fire alarms and caused minor damage to 
some hardware on the station.  No injuries to any of the six 
crewmembers on board were reported.  The fire was located in the 
Kvant 1 module.

     The fire, which began at 10:35 p.m. Sunday, Moscow time, 
burned for about 90 seconds.  The crew was exposed to heavy smoke 
for five to seven minutes and donned masks in response.  After 
completing physical exams of everyone on board, U.S. astronaut 
Jerry Linenger, a physician, reported that all crewmembers are in 
good health.  Medical personnel have directed them to wear goggles 
and masks until an analysis of the Mir atmosphere has been 
completed.

     Lithium perchlorate candles are burned to generate 
supplemental oxygen when more than three people are on board the 
space station.  The oxygen-generating candles usually burn for 
five to 20 minutes.  Russian officials believe the problem began 
when a crack in the oxygen generator's shell allowed the contents 
of the cartridge to leak into the hardware in which it was 
located.  Crewmembers extinguished the fire with foam from three 
fire extinguishers, each containing two liters of a water-based 
liquid.

     The damage to some of Mir's hardware resulted from excessive 
heat rather than from open flame.  The heat destroyed the hardware 
in which the device, known as a "candle," was burning, as well as 
the panel covering the device.  The crew also reported that the 
outer insulation layers on various cables were melted by the heat.  
It is reported by Russian flight controllers that all Mir systems 
continue to operate normally, however.

     "It is unfortunate that this incident occurred, but we are 
thankful that there were no injuries," said Frank Culbertson, 
Director of the Phase One Shuttle-Mir program.  "Russian 
management and operations specialists have been very informative 
as to what happened, and we are working closely with them on 
evaluating the health of the crew and how best to respond to the 
damage," added Culbertson.

     "The crew did a great job handling the fire, and the ground 
support has been excellent on both sides."

In addition to Linenger, the Mir crewmembers include Mir 22 
cosmonauts Valery Korzun and Alexander Kaleri, Mir 23 cosmonauts 
Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Lazutkin, and German researcher 
Reinhold Ewald, representing the German space agency, DARA.  
Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald are scheduled to return to Earth on 
Sunday as previously planned to wrap up a six-month mission for 
Korzun and Kaleri and three weeks of scientific experiments for 
Ewald.  Linenger will remain aboard Mir until mid-May with 
Tsibliev and Lazutkin.

     Officials are evaluating possible impacts to the mission and 
its science activities, as technical experts at the Russian 
Mission Control Center investigate the incident. The burned panel 
and other materials may be returned to Earth with Korzun, Kaleri 
and Ewald on Sunday for further analysis.

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 004  ARLS004
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  February 28, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS004
ARLS004 AMSAT scrambling to close funding gap

The AMSAT-NA Phase 3D fund-raising campaign is at minus 150,000 dollar(s) 
and
counting--and that's assuming the launch goes off on schedule this
summer.  At the end of 1996, AMSAT-NA figured it needed another
200,000 dollar(s) to finish the project.  The latest AMSAT-NA fund campaign
has, so far, netted an additional 50,000, dollar(s) according to AMSAT-NA
Executive Vice President Keith Baker, KB1SF.  ''Barring unforeseen
problems from now until launch, and assuming the early July launch
date holds, that puts us still short of funds by about 150,000,''
Baker dollar(s) said this week.  ''We're still not out of the woods yet, but
we're getting close.''

But the AMSAT-NA shortfall is only part of the total Phase 3D
funding picture.  Baker also says that AMSAT-DL (Germany)--which, so
far, has invested nearly 2 dollar(s) million in Phase 3D compared to nearly
1 dollar(s).4 million for AMSAT-NA--reports it still needs in the vicinity 
of
100,000 dollar(s) to complete its share of the Phase 3D effort.

Baker said AMSAT is on target to meet the July 8 or July 9 schedule,
which is still the official European Space Agency launch date for
the Ariane 502 rocket.

Baker said work on the satellite is moving along swiftly, and most
of the remaining electronic modules, antennas and other pieces of
the satellite are now at the Phase 3D Integration Lab in Orlando,
Florida.  ''This week, a number of our Japanese and European builders
will also be in Orlando, along with several of their American
counterparts, to begin the 'final-final' installation and test of
antennas as well as integration into the satellite and testing of RF
and the remaining equipment modules,'' he said.  ''They'll roll up
their shirtsleeves to get the work done.''  That phase of the job
will continue through March.  Environmental testing of the satellite
is slated to begin in mid-April.

The schedule is a tight one, right up until launch time.  AMSAT
anticipates the satellite will be shipped to Kourou, French Guyana,
sometime in early May for final checkout, followed by integration
with the Ariane 5 rocket in mid to late June.

''Needless to say, it is a very busy (and exciting) time for all of
us.'' Baker said.

A series of pictures of Phase 3D work in progress is available via
the AMSAT-NA Web site at http://www.amsat.org.  Depending on its
workload, the integration team hopes to be able to update these
photos as work progresses.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 005  ARLS005
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  February 28, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS005
ARLS005 School contacts a go in wake of Mir fire

A ham radio contact between ham-Astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR,
aboard the Russian Mir space station, and pupils at an elementary
school in Michigan went off on schedule February 27, unaffected by a
fire aboard Mir a few days earlier.  Linenger, a physician, reported
no injuries and all crew members in good health following the
incident on February 24.  A problem with an oxygen-generating device
on Mir set off fire alarms and caused minor damage from excessive
heat rather than from open flame.

The Mir fire was a popular topic as pupils at Charlevoix Elementary
School in Michigan, spoke with Linenger Thursday morning.  A crowd
of 320, including reporters from four television stations and three
newspapers, was on hand as 15 Charlevoix pupils spent ten minutes
talking with Mir.  The operator was Craig Stewart, KB8KPV.
Regarding onboard emergencies, Linenger told the pupils that there
is a crew return vehicle on each end of Mir, if something goes
wrong, and he assured the youngsters that everything is fine now.
He also mentioned that he misses pretzels and now eats about
one-half Russian and one-half American food.  ''The students were all
very excited and really enjoyed their contact,'' said Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO, AMSAT vice president for manned space flight.  Three schools
in Texas hope to have a chance to talk with Linenger over the next
few weeks.

The fire last Monday burned for about 90 seconds.  The crew was
exposed to heavy smoke for five to seven minutes and donned masks in
response.  Medical personnel directed the crew to wear goggles and
masks until an analysis of the Mir atmosphere could be completed.

Lithium perchlorate candles are burned to generate supplemental
oxygen when more than three people are on board the space station.
The oxygen-generating candles usually burn for up to 20 minutes.
Russian officials believe the problem began when a crack in the
oxygen generator's shell allowed the contents of the cartridge to
leak into the hardware in which it was located.  Crew members
extinguished the fire with foam from three fire extinguishers.

The heat destroyed the hardware in which the candle was burning, as
well as the panel covering the device.  The crew also reported that
the outer insulation layers on various cables were melted by the
heat.  Russian flight controllers say that all Mir systems continue
to operate normally, however.

Other schools hoping to speak with Linenger via ham radio include
Perryton High School, Perryton, Texas, on March 4, United South High
School, Laredo, Texas, on March 11, Booker T. Washington High
School, Houston, Texas, on March 17.

In addition to Linenger, the Mir crew members include Mir 22
cosmonauts Valery Korzun and Alexander Kaleri, Mir 23 cosmonauts
Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Lazutkin, and German researcher
Reinhold Ewald, DL2MIR, representing the German space agency, DARA.
Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald are scheduled to return to Earth on Sunday,
March 2, wrapping up a six-month mission for Korzun and Kaleri and
three weeks of scientific experiments for Ewald.  Linenger will
remain aboard Mir with Tsibliev and Lazutkin until mid-May.

Officials are evaluating possible impacts of the fire to the mission
and its science activities, as technical experts at the Russian
Mission Control Center investigate the incident.  The burned panel
and other materials may be returned to Earth with Korzun, Kaleri and
Ewald on Sunday for further analysis.
NNNN
/EX

        
        From the Amsat-BB
        
        
        There may be a RS-16 up now, piggyback on this satellite...  
        details are still sketchy. A beacon has been heard on 10m,
        nothing on the transponders yet.
        
        b
        

Forward from FPSpace listserver regarding Zeya launch
Jeff Hunt <[email protected]>

--- On Tue, 4 Mar 1997 13:13:06 -0500  Dima Leshchinskii 
<[email protected]> wrote:

This is from today's OMRI digest:

INAUGURAL LAUNCH FROM SVOBODNYI COSMOSDROME. Russia carried out its
first launch from the new Svobodnyi cosmodrome in Amur Oblast on 4
March, sending a Zeya military satellite into orbit aboard a Start-1
booster rocket (a modified SS-25 ballistic missile), international
agencies reported.  The Svobodnyi space center, located at a former
strategic nuclear missile base about 100 km from the Chinese border, was
opened a year ago.  It is intended to reduce Moscow's dependence on the
Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan.  The launch was protested by
environmentalists and the government of the neighboring republic of
Sakha (Yakutiya), where one of the rocket's stages was scheduled to
fall. -- Penny Morvant
-- 
Dima Leshchinskii, PhD Programme, INSEAD
Bd. de Constance, Fontainebleau 77305 FRANCE
phone: 33-1-60-72-4000, ext 4911, fax 33-1-60-72-4242
E-Mail: MAILTO:[email protected]

From: 	Richard W L Limebear[SMTP:[email protected]]
Sent: 	Tuesday, March 04, 1997 7:50 PM
To: 	[email protected]
Subject: 	Re: Zeya/RS-16 Elements

BJ Arts wrote:

> > From: Keith Stein <[email protected]>
> > 
> > Here are recent two-line elements for the Zeya launch. I don't know which
> > ones are for Zeya, and which ones are for RS-16, if its even on this
> launch.
> > 
> > 97010A
> > 1 24744U 97010A   97063.46660538  .00119262  00000-0  28893-2 0    30
> > 2 24744  97.2784 330.5774 0031532 253.5100 106.2689 15.40115238    56
> > 97010B
> > 1 24745U 97010B   97063.53422400  .00064576  00000-0  21290-2 0    23
> > 2 24745  97.2796 330.5663 0008326 103.7075 256.5126 15.31177315    70
> > 97010C
> > 1 24746U 97010C   97063.27285650 -.00000074  00000-0  00000+0 0    15
> > 2 24746  97.2739 330.2997 0010214 105.6644 254.5810 15.30811998    21

The third set (97010C) gives the best fit with the pass over UK ending
at 5-Mar/0027 utc (first set was 9-min out; second set 1-min out).

73
Richard W L Limebear G3RWL
[email protected]

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 006  ARLS006
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  March 5, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS006
ARLS006 RS-16 Satellite In Orbit

According to sources at AMSAT, a new Russian Amateur Radio
satellite, designated RS-16, has been launched from the Svobodny
Cosmodrome as part of a Zeya satellite package.  RS-16 reportedly
has an average orbital altitude of 276 miles, producing a footprint
some 2000 miles in diameter on Earth.

On March 4, 1997, 1614 UTC, Jim White, WD0E, reported hearing strong
signals from the RS-16 CW beacon on 29.408 MHz.  Others in the US
and Europe have reported strong signals on 10 meters.  The
transponders are not yet active.  The twice-delayed launch had been
expected as early as December.  RS-16 is expected to be a Mode A (2
meters up/10 meters down) satellite, like RS-10 and RS-15.  It's the
first Russian satellite to have a 70-cm beacon, but the beacon there
is not yet operational.  Beacon frequencies are 29.408, 29.451,
435.504 and 435.548 MHz.

When the transponders are operational, the RS-16 frequencies are
expected to be: uplink, 145.915 to 145.948 MHz, downlink, 29.415 to
29.448 MHz.  Orbital elements and additional information will be
announced as they become available.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 007  ARLS007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  March 21, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS007
ARLS007 Mir fire remains ''hot'' topic during MIREX school contacts

Ham-astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, aboard the Russian Mir space
station, assured students at Booker T. Washington High School in
Houston, Texas, this week that all aboard the space station are in
good shape after a fire aboard Mir late last month. About three dozen
students got to chat with Linenger March 17 and posed more than a
dozen questions during the ten-minute contact. Linenger also
discussed the effects of the fire on experiments and described the
escape arrangements available to those aboard Mir.

On March 11, students at United South High School, Laredo, Texas,
successfully spoke with Linenger via ham radio. Other Mir school QSOs
are tentatively scheduled to happen between now and April 20, 1997.

Linenger will remain aboard Mir with Cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliev and
Alexander Lazutkin until mid-May.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 008  ARLS008
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  March 25, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS008
ARLS008 Phase 3D delayed

Modifications to the Ariane 5 rocket's electrical systems and
software will mean another costly delay for the Phase 3D Amateur
Radio satellite. The European Space Agency (ESA) announced March 24,
that the Ariane 502 which will carry Phase 3D aloft from Kourou,
French Guyana, has been rescheduled for a mid-September launch. ESA
said the schedule change was in response to recommendations of a
board of inquiry that looked into the causes for the failure of the
Ariane 501 launch last year.

''This additional action, which does not call into question the
design of the launcher nor its flight readiness, is intended to
improve its robustness, increase the operational margins and allow
for degraded operating modes,'' an ESA press release said.

AMSAT-NA President Bill Tynan, W3XO, said a complete analysis had
not yet been done but that he believed the delay would add ''on the
order of 100,000 dollars'' to Phase 3D's cost. That's on top of an
estimated 200,000 dollars combined funding shortfall that AMSAT-NA
and AMSAT-DL were reporting in late February. So far, AMSAT-DL has
invested nearly 2 million dollars in Phase 3D, compared to nearly
1.4 million dollars for AMSAT-NA.  ''Every month adds costs,'' Tynan
concluded.

Phase 3D fund-raising efforts will continue. Earlier this year, the
Japanese AMSAT group, JAMSAT, helped bridge the funding gap by
transferring 50,000 dollars to AMSAT-NA. The money represented
excess donations from JAMSAT members for the Phase 3D SCOPE camera.
The completed SCOPE camera, designed and built entirely by JAMSAT,
has been installed and successfully powered up at the Phase 3D
Integration Laboratory in Orlando, Florida, where preparation and
testing continue.

Tynan emphasized that the Phase 3D team plans to take maximum
advantage of the schedule change to perform additional testing.
''It's not time being wasted,'' Tynan said, adding that the Phase 3D
team ''will use the delay to be even more sure about the
spacecraft's readiness.''

Prior to announcement of the latest delay, AMSAT-NA Vice President
Keith Baker, KB1SF, had been reporting that AMSAT was racing to meet
the early July launch schedule and that work on the satellite was
moving along swiftly.

A series of pictures of Phase 3D work in progress is available via
the AMSAT-NA Web site at http://www.amsat.org. Depending on its
workload, the integration team hopes to be able to update these
photos as work progresses.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 009  ARLS009
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  March 27, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS009
ARLS009 ATV rocket launches set

The Aerospace States Association Rockets for Schools program has
announced plans to launch three rockets during May that will carry
Amateur TV (ATV) payloads.  All launches will use 11-foot-long
Super-Loki sounding rockets identical to the rocket used for the
successful Wisconsin Rockets for Schools program launch in May 1996
described in ''New Heights for ATV'' (QST, Feb 1997).

On May 10, a Super-Loki rocket carrying an ATV payload on 439.25 MHz
with GPS data on the audio is scheduled to be launched from Cape
Henlopen State Park in Delaware.  If successful, the event will mark
Delaware's first suborbital rocket launch.  Teams of students in
grades 7 through 12 are being recruited to assist in designing and
building various payload components.  For the latest information on
the Delaware launch, see http://www.dpi.state.de.us/dpi/launch/ on
the Web or contact Sam Guccione, K3BY, e-mail [email protected].

On May 17, two Super-Loki rockets carrying ATV payloads will be
launched at separate times from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on the shore
of Lake Michigan (the site of the May 4, 1996, launch).  Current
plans call for the first to transmit ATV on 434.25 MHz with Morse
code telemetry on the audio, and for the second to transmit ATV on
439.25 MHz with GPS data on the audio.  The Super-Loki rocket, which
uses solid propellant, can carry the payload to altitudes of more
than 30 miles.

For the latest information on the Wisconsin launches, see
http://phy.mtu.edu/rocket/ on the Web or contact Greg Heinen,
KB9OBV, email [email protected], or Bryan Suits, WB8WKN,
email [email protected].

Meanwhile, Bill Brown, WB8ELK, reports that an RFI problem led to
scrubbing the planned North Carolina launch from a balloon of an
amateur rocket carrying ATV and APRS systems on March 22.  The group
of space enthusiasts, which includes several hams, will reschedule
the launch of the ''rockoon''--a rocket launched from a high-altitude
balloon--for sometime in late April.

Brown said RFI to a timer mechanism caused the balloon's ''cutdown
squibs'' to fire just prior to liftoff.  The cutdown squibs are a
means to bring the balloon down automatically if ground control is
lost.

The Huntsville Alabama L5 Society (HAL5)--a chapter of the National
Space Society (NSS)--has spent the past two years developing and
testing components for the rockoon.  The HAL5 program is called
Project HALO, for High Altitude Lift-Off.

A new launch date has not yet been set.  For more details check the
HALO Web site at http://iquest.com/~hal5/HALO/SL-1/ or
e-mail hal5 (at) iquest.com.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 010  ARLS010
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  March 31, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS010
ARLS010 SAREX aboard STS-83; launch set for April 3

The Space Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment--SAREX--will be aboard
when NASA*s STS-83 mission accelerates skyward April 3 at 1901 UTC.
Eighteen schools, including institutions in the People*s Republic of
China and on Okinawa, have been scheduled for SAREX contacts during
the mission. Three hams will be aboard the shuttle Columbia. They are
James D. Halsell, KC5RNI, mission commander; Janice E. Voss, KC5BTK,
payload commander; and Donald A. Thomas, KC5FVF, mission specialist.
STS-83 is scheduled to last 16 days. The mission will carry SAREX
configuration C: voice and packet. The mission*s primary payload is
the microgravity science laboratory.

Schools selected for STS-83 SAREX contacts are: Alvin C. York
Agricultural Institute, Jamestown, Tennessee; Artesia Public Schools,
Artesia, New Mexico; Beau Chene High School, Arnaudville, Louisiana;
Center Street School, El Segundo, California; County College of
Morris, Randolph, New Jersey; Crittenden Middle School, Mountain
View, California; Edgewater High School, Orlando, Florida; Ione
Junior High School, Jackson, California; Lawrence Intermediate
School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey; Lester Middle School (Department
of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific), Okinawa, Japan; Lexington
Traditional Magnet School, Lexington, Kentucky; Mountain View
Elementary School, Prescott Valley, Arizona; Public School No. 9, New
York, New York; Robert J. Burch Elementary School, Tyrone, Georgia;
S. J. Davis Middle School, San Antonio, Texas; Sonny Carter
Elementary School, Macon, Georgia; Troy Intermediate School, Troy,
Texas; and Tsinghua University, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.

The SAREX Working Group has designated the following frequencies
during the STS-83 mission:

 FM voice downlink (worldwide): 145.55 MHz
 FM voice uplink: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, and 144.99 MHz
 FM voice uplink (Europe only): 144.70, 144.75, and 144.80 MHz

If packet is available, the FM packet downlink will be 145.55 MHz;
the uplink will be 144.49 MHz. The FM packet call sign will be
W5RRR-1.

The SAREX hardware will be flown in configuration B, voice-only,
battery operation, since no shuttle power could be spared for SAREX
on this mission. The SAREX equipment aboard STS-83 includes the
Motorola 2-meter FM hand-held transceiver, 15 spare batteries, the
window antenna, SAREX headset assembly, personal recorder and the
required interconnecting cables.

The SAREX team is also flying the Heathkit packet radio TNC for
possible use later in the flight. If power conservation measures are
successful, the mission control team will advise SAREX and the
astronauts to initiate use of the packet radio system, which also
includes one of the Shuttle Laptop computers.

Reports and QSLs go to ARRL-EAD, STS-83 QSL, 225 Main St, Newington,
CT 06111-1494. Include the following information: STS-83, date, time
in UTC, frequency and mode (FM, voice or packet). You must also
include an sase using a large, business-size envelope if you wish to
receive a card.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 011  ARLS011
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  April 2, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS011
ARLS011 STS-83 postponed

NASA has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Columbia for 24
hours. Mission STS-83, which will carry the Shuttle Amateur Radio
EXperiment, SAREX, was due to be launched Thursday, April 3, 1997,
at 1901 UTC. Following a review on Wednesday, April 2, NASA managers
determined that a water coolant line in the orbiter's payload bay
will require additional insulation to prevent it from freezing
during the orbiter's 16 days in space.

Launch has been rescheduled for April 4 at 1901 UTC.

Three hams will be aboard the shuttle Columbia. They are James D.
Halsell, KC5RNI, mission commander, Janice E. Voss, KC5BTK, payload
commander, and Donald A. Thomas, KC5FVF, mission specialist. STS-83
is scheduled to last 16 days. The mission will carry SAREX
configuration C: voice and packet. The mission's primary payload is
the microgravity science laboratory.

Eighteen schools, including institutions in the People's Republic of
China and on Okinawa, have been scheduled for SAREX contacts during
the mission. The SAREX Working Group has designated the following
frequencies during the STS-83 mission:

  FM voice downlink (worldwide): 145.55 MHz
  FM voice uplink: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, and 144.99 MHz
  FM voice uplink (Europe only): 144.70, 144.75, and 144.80 MHz

If packet is available, the FM packet downlink will be 145.55 MHz;
the uplink will be 144.49 MHz. The FM packet call sign will be
W5RRR-1.

Reports and QSLs go to ARRL-EAD, STS-83 QSL, 225 Main St, Newington,
CT 06111-1494. Include the following information: STS-83, date, time
in UTC, frequency and mode (FM, voice or packet). You must also
include an sase using a large, business-size envelope if you wish to
receive a card.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 012  ARLS012
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  April 11, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS012
ARLS012 SAREX/ARISS attempt to reschedule missed QSOs

When the space shuttle Columbia prematurely came back to Earth April
8, so did the soaring hopes of students and teachers at 18 schools
that had been scheduled to talk via Amateur Radio with the
astronauts aboard the shuttle as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio
EXperiment, or SAREX.  Three hams were aboard STS-83: Jim Halsell,
KC5RNI, the mission commander, Janice Voss, KC5BTJ, and Donald
Thomas, KC5FVF.  The SAREX schedule had included contacts with
schools in the People's Republic of China and Japan (Okinawa).

It's not yet known if or when any of the SAREX contacts might be
rescheduled on other missions, although NASA has indicated it would
like to ''refly'' the entire STS-83 mission--with the same
crew--possibly as early as July.  The SAREX/ARISS Working Group
(SAWG) has requested that SAREX be included if the mission is
reflown.  In the meantime, the SAWG will be in contact with NASA to
find ways to give each school every possible chance to be assigned
to future flights.

NASA Payload Specialist Ron Parise, WA4SIR, took time out from his
work schedule April 7 at Goddard Space Flight Center to speak with
some 300 thrilled students at the County College of Morris in New
Jersey, one of the schools on the STS-83 SAREX schedule.  Other
schools might get a chance at special QSOs with the STS-83 crew
members once the crew is back at Johnson Space Center.

At least one of the hams aboard STS-83 managed a few spare moments
to turn on the ham gear aboard the shuttle.  Al Lark, KD4SFF, of
Greenville, South Carolina, was able to chat with Don Thomas,
KC5FVF, aboard Columbia on April 5.  Rusty Hack, NM1K, in Enfield,
Connecticut, also reported hearing KC5FVF aboard the shuttle on the
same day, apparently a few minutes after the QSO with KD4SFF.  April
5 QSOs also were reported by KA3HPQ and N1JEZ.

In the meantime, four out of a scheduled round of ten MIREX school
contacts have taken place so far with ham-astronaut Jerry Linenger,
KC5HBR, aboard the Russian Mir space station.  At least three more
contacts remain on the schedule, with Alaiedon Elementary School in
Mason, Michigan, Holy Angels School in Dayton, Ohio, and Jerling
Junior High School in Orland Park Illinois.  The remaining QSO
schedule may be pared back in deference to Linenger's heavy research
workload, but efforts are under way to carry out as many of the
previously schedule school contacts as possible.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 013  ARLS013
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  April 25, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS013
ARLS013 STS-83 refly is a ''go'' for July with SAREX on board

Word from NASA this week is that shuttle mission STS-83--cut short
in early April because of a fuel cell problem aboard the
spacecraft--will be reflown in July with the Shuttle Amateur Radio
EXperiment--SAREX--aboard. The new mission will be dubbed STS-94.
The space shuttle Columbia prematurely returned to Earth April 8
without making any of the scheduled QSOs with 18 schools in the US,
the People's Republic of China, and Japan. Sixteen schools want to
arrange new schedules for the July mission, which will again carry
the microgravity science lab. Three hams were aboard STS-83: Jim
Halsell, KC5RNI, the mission commander; Janice Voss, KC5BTK; and
Donald Thomas, KC5FVF. The same crew likely will be tapped for
STS-94, set to launch on July 1 for a 16-day mission.

In the meantime, more QSOs of a scheduled round of ten MIREX school
contacts have taken place with Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR, aboard the
Russian Mir space station. Students at Holy Angels School in Dayton,
Ohio, got a chance to chat with Linenger April 21. The ground
station, W8DOZ, was running 35 W into a turnstile antenna. On April
23, students at Jerling Junior High School in Orland Park,
Illinois--a Chicago suburb--had a 10-minute contact with Linenger.
More than a dozen students got to speak directly to Linenger as an
audience of 800 students and 200 visitors looked on. Nearly 2500
students in other schools also got to listen in.

Linenger and his cosmonaut flight companions, Mir-23 Commander
Vasily Tsibliev and Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin, managed to
restore one of two Elektron oxygen generators aboard Mir. The repair
ended a serious problem for the Russian space outpost. The three
used equipment shipped to Mir April 8 aboard a Progress resupply
rocket.  With the Elektron electrolysis system at least partially
back in operation and the Mir's primary carbon dioxide scrubber also
operational once more, the air aboard the Mir is healthier than it
has been in weeks. Because the system is not producing oxygen at a
rate sufficient for three crew members, however, the crew is
supplementing the Mir's atmosphere with gaseous oxygen. The Mir also
has a healthy stock of oxygen-generating candles to use if
necessary.  Wire service reports say the Mir crew has, for the time
being, given up efforts to track down an elusive cooling system leak
that's allowing ethylene glycol coolant to leak into the atmosphere
of one spacecraft module.

NASA reportedly intends to go ahead with plans for astronaut Michael
Foale, KB5UAC,  ADD  to  replace Linenger in mid-May. Foale, who
will arrive on the shuttle Atlantis, is scheduled to be replaced in
September by astronaut Wendy Lawrence, KC5KII. The last US astronaut
scheduled for a tour of duty on Mir is David Wolf, KC5VPF, in early
1998. The 11-year-old Mir space station eventually will be replaced
by the International Space Station--a cooperative venture between
Russia and the US.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 014  ARLS014
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  May 8, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS014
ARLS014 STS-84 launch May 15

NASA has set May 15 as the official launch date for space shuttle
Atlantis sixth docking with the Russian Mir space station and a trip
back home for ham-astronaut Jerry Linenger, KC5HBR. The STS-84
launch window opens at about 4:08 AM EDT on May 15. STS-84 is the
sixth in a series of docking missions between the shuttle and Mir
and the third involving the exchange of American astronauts.
Linenger, a Mir crew member since January 15, will swap places with
Michael Foale, KB5UAC, who will spend more than four months on the
station before returning to Earth on the STS-86 Atlantis/Mir docking
mission in September.  Astronaut Wendy Lawrence, KC5KII, will
replace Foale in September.

Several other hams will be on the STS-84 crew. They include
Commander Charles Precourt, KB5YSQ, and Mission Specialists Edward
Lu, KC5WKJ, Carlos Noriega, KC5WKK, and Jean-Francois Clervoy,
KC5WKG.

Late last month, Linenger--more than 100 days into his four-month
research mission aboard Mir--conducted his first spacewalk. He was
joined by Mir Commander Vasily Tsibliev. It was the first time a US
astronaut conducted a spacewalk while wearing a Russian space suit.

Dave Larsen, N6CO, reports that Foale has received FCC approval to
speak with unlicensed third parties via ham radio during his stay on
Mir. Foale also has permission to use the German Space Amateur Funk
EXperiment (SAFEX) equipment on Mir in addition to the 2-meter gear.
The other STS-84 ham-astronauts also may use the Mir equipment
during the docking mission.

Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, at Johnson Space Center, said Foale has
promised to keep the packet system on as much as possible. ''He
enjoys talking with people and looks forward to experimenting with
ham equipment onboard Mir,'' Bordelon said. Jay Apt, N5QWL, shares an
office with Foale, and Bordelon says Apt shared his experiences of
visiting the Mir station with Foale. ''Mike will be busy the first
few weeks onboard Mir, but after that he will be on-the-air,''
Bordelon said.

For more information on STS-84 (and pictures of Foale and Linenger),
check out NASA's shuttle Web site at
http://shuttle.nasa.gov/index.html/.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 015  ARLS015
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  May 15, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS015
ARLS015 Ham-astronaut Mike Foale to be active from Mir

Ham-astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, took off on the space shuttle
Atlantis Thursday, May 15, to swap places with colleague Jerry
Linenger, KB5HBR, aboard the Russian Mir space station.  Foale was
one of several hams aboard Atlantis for the STS-84 mission, the
sixth docking with Mir.  He is scheduled to remain aboard Mir until
September.

Other hams on the STS-84 crew include Commander Charles Precourt,
KB5YSQ, and Mission Specialists Edward Lu, KC5WKJ, Carlos Noriega,
KC5WKK, and Jean-Francois Clervoy, KC5WKG.  The Atlantis is carrying
badly needed replacement equipment for the Mir space station,
including a new oxygen-generation unit.

During the STS-84 pre-flight press conference, Foale talked about
ham radio and his stay aboard Mir.  Foale said he took his ham radio
exam in preparation for the STS-56 shuttle mission.  ''My commander
then (Ken Cameron, KB5AWP) was a pretty serious radio ham, and he
encouraged the whole crew to do it,'' Foale said.  ''Since then, I've
enjoyed taking part in those activities, and I do look forward very
much to using the ham radio on the Mir throughout my stay there to
talk to anybody who can speak to me in either English, American, or
Russian.''

Foale said he's open to talk about anything and with anybody.  ''I
really enjoy having slightly longer contacts than just the brief
collections of QSOs we do on shuttle.  As a long-duration crew
member, I'm hoping that (hams) will allow me to talk longer with
them, so I can have some contact with them and their countries and
understand the people's conditions where they live as I fly over
them.''

NASA says its Shuttle Web will provide continuous audio and video
coverage of the STS-84 shuttle-Mir mission in a second test of the
latest technology for streaming video over the Internet.  Links to
the video stream are available on the NASA Shuttle Web,
http://shuttle.nasa.gov.
NNNN
/EX

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 016  ARLS016
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  May 30, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS016
ARLS016 Mike Foale, KB5UAC, aboard and active From Mir

Ham-astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, who swapped places with Jerry
Linenger, KC5HBR, aboard the Russian Mir space station in mid-May,
already is making good on his promise to keep Mir active on the ham
bands. Foale is scheduled to spend more than four months on the space
station before returning to Earth in September.

Al Lark, KD4SFF, of Greenville, South Carolina, was among the first
US stations to snag a QSO with Foale (who was using R0MIR at the
time). During a Memorial Day contact, KD4SFF got a chance to try out
a few Russian phrases during the QSO. The Mir frequencies are 145.800
MHz (downlink) and 145.200 MHz (uplink).

Foale has FCC permission to speak with unlicensed third parties via
ham radio during his stay on Mir. Foale also has permission to use
the German Space Amateur Funk EXperiment (SAFEX) equipment on Mir in
addition to the 2-meter gear.

Dave Larsen, N6CO, is the US Mir QSL manager for contacts made with
Mir crew members. QSL cards must include date, time, and mode of
contact. He does not handle cards for SWL reports. To confirm
contacts with the Mir packet radio personal message system (PMS),
include the message number issued by the PMS on your QSL. Send QSLs
along with a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
David G. Larsen, N6CO, Box 1501, Pine Grove, CA 95665 USA. For
further details, get in touch with Larsen via e-mail at
docvolcano.net.
NNNN
/EX

        
        fyi,
        
        Amsat ops are reporting that RS10/11 has not been heard since
        Memorial Day. There is some cryptic messages coming from Russia
        stating that the shut off was not a mistake, and that it will be
        available again. I'll pass info along as I get it.