This is really amazing and deserves more attention than it has been getting.
Chinese AMATEUR Satellites ORBITING THE MOON! Radio Amateurs Receiving Images
Category: space program
“First Man” Neil Armstrong Movie Trailer
I think Ryan Gosling is a good choice to play Neil Armstrong. It looks like this movie will deal with the “right stuff,” a concept somewhat related to “the knack.”
Beautiful QSL by Jeff Murray K1NSS
Here’s a reminder of the amazing art work of Jeff Murray K1NSS.
You can have him draw a QSL for you: Go here:
https://www.jeffk1nss.com/
Jeff writes:
Thank goodness others like Ken N2WWD were paying attention and went on to surf gravity’s rainbow of flight dynamics, all in a day’s work and play for rocket scientists. Tandem surfing and professional activities somewhat aside, Ken is also actively involved with ARISS, i.e. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, the group guiding ham radio operations aboard ISS. So Kelvin cool to work with Ken on this New One, with Ken cooking up a special Easter Egg for all you galactic hitchhikers!
What might I draw with you?https://www.jeffk1nss.com/
Today: 40th Anniversary of the Launch of Voyager 1
Audio Clips from N2CQR/HI8 Contacts with MIR Space Station (now in mp3)
Back in 1995 I was in the Dominican Republic. I used an old 2 meter rig and a homebrew 5 element quad (see below) to talk to U.S. Astronaut Norm Thagard on the MIR space station. (You may have heard me bragging about this before.) I made a bunch of audio clips from the contacts. They’d been in the now defunct RealAudio format, but I have been able to convert them to mp3. You can listen here:
http://www.gadgeteer.us/CLIPS.HTM
Juno Spacecraft Looks At Jupiter
India’s Successful Mission to Mars (Video)
NPR’s “Science Friday” produced this very nice video on India’s successful mission to Mars. Really nice.
Preserving Vanguard 1
Ira Flatow of “Science Friday” was recently talking about how best to preserve important bits of the history of mankind’s exploration of space. Our old friend Vanguard 1 was mentioned several times. It is now the oldest satellite still in space.
You can listen to the Science Friday show here:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/protecting-the-historic-human-record-in-space/
They also have a transcript of the show on the same page.
SolderSmoke fans will remember the Vanguard adventures of Mike Rainey AA1TJ:
http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Vanguard
This seems to be the month for Vanguard: just a couple of weeks ago, on 40 meters I spoke to Dale Parfitt W4OP. Dale was one of the first people to pick up Mike Rainey’s Vanguard replica signals (see link above).
AND…
The Vanguard reproduction project came up during Eric Guth 4Z1UG’s “QSO Today” interview with Graham Firth G3MFJ of the G-QRP Club:
http://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/g3mfj
(Graham has such a great voice. He definitely SHOULD build a phone rig!)
VIVA VANGUARD!
NASA’S New Mars Recruiting Posters
http://marsmobile.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/resources/mars-posters-explorers-wanted/
Bill,
Doesn’t this fabulous artwork remind you of the 1950-60’s era and the intense interest we all had in space and spacemen?
http://marsmobile.jpl.nasa.
I recall there was so much inspiring artwork showing men in spacesuits, even though at the time it was before we had put men in obit around the earth never mind set foot on our moon. Packets of breakfast cereal came with plastic model spacemen and rockets.
It struck me that amateur radio will play a huge part for those who venture to Mars and Phobos, as they will need the type of people who have the practical abilities to improvise and repair equipment while severely restricted in the availability of spare parts.
NASA should do a poster showing an intrepid Mars Soldersmoker with his workbench with some piece of electronic equipment in pieces.
73
David GM4JJJ
——————-
Jeff K1NSS?
http://www.dashtoons.com/
Sputnik Replica Transmitter, an “Error” in the Sputnik Schematic, and Why 20.005 MHz?
Mark K6HX pointed me to very interesting Hackaday article on Frank PA3CNO’s Sputnik transmitter replica. As blog readers will recall, we went through a period of Sputnik-mania a few years ago: http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=sputnik Chief Designer Comrade Mikhail Rainey AA1TJ sent me some of the Russian tubes (like those pictured above).
The Hackaday article pointed to our post reporting that Oleg RV3GM had found the schematic:
http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2013/04/sputnik-schematic-found.html Stefan reports that PA3CNO found “an error” in the original Soviet schematic:
http://www.radio.cc/post/Franks-power-supply-for-sputnik A mistake you say? HAH, I say! Hah! This must have been part of a sinister commie plot to prevent the capitalist imperialists from ever being able to reproduce the glorious transmitter of the Soviet people. They almost succeeded.
Just kidding.
In the course of looking through our old Sputnik posts, I came across a question I posted:
I have a question: OK so the crafty Soviets picked 20.005 MHz for some good reasons: Being so close to the WWV freq, it would be easy for hams and SWLs to find it with precision. In the November/December 2007 issue of “Break In” (from NZ — thanks Jonathan-san!) ZL3DW notes that this frequency selection would allow a receiver set to exactly 20 MHz to “produce an audio tone plus or minus the Doppler shift without ever going through zero beat.” But zero beat with what? Most of the receivers out there would not have had BFOs, right? So the Soviets wouldn’t have been using ordinary CW, right? Were they using AM, with the beeps produced by an audio oscillator modulating the carrier?
Was their diabolical plan to use WWV as the BFO for those using ordinary AM SW receivers? If so, a 5 kHz separation from WWV seems to be too much right? Especially when the Doppler shift on approach would push the frequency up a bit. Maybe they just chose this freq to make it easy for listeners to find — just a bit above WWV. Comrade Rainey surmised that they were keying the PA stage — the oscillator “backwave” was at times audible on the ground.
What do you think Comrades?
DSW and 73.
Amazing Space-X Launch. Then watch the rocket COME BACK TO THE PAD
Five Lessons from Pluto for Homebrewers
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/embedded-basics/4440230/5-Engineering-Lessons-from-Pluto?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150901&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150901&elq=3e27f3c4018844db9381c8a508867555&elqCampaignId=24586&elqaid=27842&elqat=1&elqTrackId=06ba9f8cc21140c1ae477df75c36dd65
Thanks to Bob Crane, W8SX, for the link to this article. Those of us who are reading “The Martian” will find the mention of RTG power interesting (but hey, let’s not try to put any plutonium in our rigs, OK?)
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
One more on Gagarin
Bill, Pete,
In keeping with historical events, I have enclosed a few snap-shots from the 1961 Pittsburgh Press dated Wednesday, April 12, 1961.
Yes, a few of us recall that very day. I had filed this newspaper in my Scrap Book back then. It was a bitter sweet thing, to read for most, as we hoped the U.S. to be first but none-the-less, we smiled anyway because, it proved a person could go into space and return. (Flight Breaks Barrier to Space Travel). I was very enthusiastic about Rockets, Travel and current events. I built my own capsule in the rafters of my parents home and spent all day up there in the tiny confines as I launched my own secret adventures into Outer-Space.
Hope you enjoy the photos. I can provide a better set of copies if you are interested.
73’s
Harv – WA3EIB
Idaho Falls, ID
Harv: I converted a small closet into what I saw as an excellent simulator of the Apollo 11 Command Module. Bill
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Cosmonautics Day Follow-up
Mark, K6HX, took a break from Hummingbird photography and captured some of the images streaming down from the International Space Station on Cosmonautics Day (April 11): http://brainwagon.org/2015/04/11/sstv-from-the-iss/
Very cool Mark (and I think the bird pictures are just as cool!)
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Happy Cosmonautics Day! Yuri Gagarin Images (SSTV) from Space This Weekend
http://m0dcm.co.uk/?tag=sstv
From the ARISS Web Site:
http://www.ariss.org/news.html
Latest NewsApril 6, 2015
ISS Slow Scan TV Expected Weekend of April 11
In celebration of Cosmonautics Day, Russian ARISS SSTV activity is planned for the second week of April.
Cosmonautics Day celebrates Yuri Gagarin’s famous flight on April 12, 1961 becoming the first human to reach space.
The SSTV event is planned for Saturday, April 11, beginning at 10:00 UTC and continuing until 21:00 UTC. All transmissions will use the high resolution SSTV mode PD180. Transmissions will be at 145.800 MHz. If similar to past events, 12 different photos will be sent through the weekend with 3 minute off periods between transmissions.
To receive the images in real time, all that’s required is a 2 meter radio receiver and a computer to convert the receiver’s audio to image form. The software to do this is available as freeware on the internet at sites such as http://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php. Received images can be uploaded and viewed at the ARISS Image gallery found at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php .
Those capturing images are encouraged to upload them to http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/submit.php
Uploaded images may be viewed at http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/
Please be advised that situational demands on crew time could result in postponement or cancellation of any ARISS activity. Please pay attention to the possibility of any change in scheduling.
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
This Kid has THE KNACK TO THE MAX! And is in the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards! (VIDEO)
Oh man, we’ve all been there in one form or another. The struggle, the frustration, then, THE TRIUMPH! I love when his mother drops the plate.
Thanks to John KC0BMF
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
This Kid has THE KNACK TO THE MAX! And is in the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards! (VIDEO)
Oh man, we’ve all been there in one form or another. The struggle, the frustration, then, THE TRIUMPH! I love when his mother drops the plate.
Thanks to John KC0BMF
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Beagle 2 Found On Mars
I was one of the millions of people who woke up that Christmas morning in 2003 thinking not of Santa Claus but of Colin Pillinger’s Mars Lander, the Beagle 2. We were in London by then, and later on I got to meet Colin Pillinger. I still have the books about Beagle 2 that he gave to me. Wow, it looks like they came very close. Too bad Colin did not live to see these pictures.
The Planetary Society has a very good article on all this:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/01160800-beagle-2-found.html
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Sputnik 40 Launched from MIR in 1997
Bill,
I’m new to SolderSmoke, and have made it up to episode 135. around episode 130 you entered a “space” phase that I enjoyed. With Sputnik being mentioned, I thought I would send you a recording of Sputnik 40 that I made on November 23, 1997. I used a home made turnstile antenna and an HT.
I’m new to SolderSmoke, and have made it up to episode 135. around episode 130 you entered a “space” phase that I enjoyed. With Sputnik being mentioned, I thought I would send you a recording of Sputnik 40 that I made on November 23, 1997. I used a home made turnstile antenna and an HT.
73,
Jeff Tucker
W9TLT
Listen to Jeff’s recording here:
Sputnik 40, also known as Sputnik Jr, and Radio Sputnik 17 (RS-17), was a Franco-Russian amateur radio satellite which was launched in 1997 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. A 4-kilogram (8.8 lb) one-third scale model of Sputnik 1, Sputnik 40 was deployed from the Mir space station on 3 November 1997. Built by students, the spacecraft was constructed at the Polytechnic Laboratory of Nalchik in Kabardino-Balkaria, whilst its transmitter was assembled by Jules Reydellet College in Réunion with technical support from AMSAT-France.
Sputnik 40 was launched, along with a backup spacecraft and the X-Mir inspection satellite, aboard Progress M-36 at 15:08 UTC on 5 October 1997. A Soyuz-U carrier rocket placed the spacecraft into orbit, flying from 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: the same launch pad used by Sputnik 1. Progress M-36 docked to Mir on 8 October, and the satellites were transferred to the space station. At 04:05 UTC on 3 November, during an extra-vehicular activity, Sputnik 40 was deployed by cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Pavel Vinogradov.
On 4 November, the day after it was deployed, Sputnik 40 was in a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 376 kilometres (234 mi), an apogee of 382 kilometres (237 mi), an inclination of 51.6 degrees, and a period of 92.13 minutes.The satellite was given the International Designator 1997-058C, and was catalogued by the United States Space Command as 24958. It ceased operations on 29 December 1997 when its batteries expired, and subsequently decayed from orbit on 21 May 1998. The backup satellite remained aboard Mir, and was destroyed when Mir was deorbited on 23 March 2001.
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Launch of the new Orion rocket
The Saturn V was, of course, far more impressive and beautiful. But the Orion is pretty cool. When I was looking at the drawings depicting the various stages of the spacecraft, that Apollo-shaped capsule brought back some deep memories. I was 10 years old when Apollo 11 launched.
A page from the scrapbook I made during the flight of Apollo 11.
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20