CQ MAGAZINE HONOURS BRITONS INVOLVED IN ASTRO PI PROJECT - Radio amateurs David Honess, M6DNT, and Tim Peake, KG5BVI / GB1SS, have been inducted into the prestigious CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honours those individuals, whether licenced hams or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet. More (Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club - May 21)
SPACE DEBRIS AND THE PRICE OF BEING A PIONEER - Scientists will tell you, "Space debris is an urgent issue. We've got novel technology to deal with it. But we can't get the funding." It's a lot like climate change. But do we really want to wait until it's too late? Pioneers carry a heavy burden. Everything is new and you're the first to try them out. If you fail, it's moon dust on your face. And those who follow will follow you with the benefit of being able to learn from your mistakes. More (Source: Deutsche Welle - May 20)
SOYUZ ROCKET ORBITS SATELLITE FOR AIRBORNE NAVIGATION AND CONNECTIVITY - A commercial SES communications satellite on the way to an operating post over the Americas rode into orbit from French Guiana aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket Thursday, embarking on a mission to help airline travelers stay connected and improve air navigation over the United States. Powered exclusively by xenon-fed electric thrusters, the SES 15 satellite could last up to 18 years, beaming in-flight wifi to airline passengers, giving pilots and air traffic controllers more accurate GPS navigation data, and supplying capacity to television broadcasters. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 19)
WEEK’S LAST CUBESATS DEPLOYED AS CREW STUDIES SPACE HEALTH - The week’s final set of CubeSats were deployed today from outside the Japanese Kibo lab module’s airlock. Inside the International Space Station, the Expedition 51 crew continued exploring microgravity’s effects on muscles, bone cells and vision. Over a dozen CubeSats were ejected into Earth orbit this week outside the Kibo module to study Earth and space phenomena for the next one to two years. Today’s constellation of tiny satellites will explore a variety of subjects including hybrid, low temperature energy stowage systems and the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere known as the thermosphere. More (Source: NASA - May 19)
HOW BUILDING SATELLITES IN ORBIT WILL CHANGE OUR FUTURE IN SPACE - Satellites lead a double life. Our sats are designed to survive in two very different environments: the microgravity of orbit and the intense forces of a rocket launch. But the extensive support structures they need to endure the brutal trip off-planet are useless once the launch is over. And what's more, having to build satellites this way limits their effectiveness in orbit because it restricts the size of components like transmitters and solar arrays, as well as the choice of materials that can be used in construction. More (Source: Popular Mechanics - May 18)
INDIAN TEEN BUILDS WORLD'S 'LIGHTEST SATELLITE' - An Indian teenager has built what is thought could be the world's lightest satellite, which will be launched at a Nasa facility in the US in June. Rifath Shaarook's 64-gram (0.14 lb) device was selected as the winner in a youth design competition. The 18-year-old says its main purpose was to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fibre. Rifath told local media his invention will go on a four-hour mission for a sub-orbital flight. More (Source: BBC News - May 18)
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION’S ORBIT RAISED BY 350 METERS - The Mission Control Center has carried out a maneuver to increase the average altitude of the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS), the center’s press service told TASS. "The maneuver has been completed," the press service said. The correction maneuver began at 00.35 Moscow Time and lasted for 13 seconds. It was carried out with the help of engines of the Zvezda service module. More (Source: TASS - May 18)
RUSSIA PLANS TO END DEPENDENCE ON U.S. SATELLITES FOR COMMUNICATION WITH ISS - - Russia plans to end its dependence on U.S. satellites for communications with the International Space Station. Currently, the Russian segment of the station is in direct contact with Russian controllers only when the station is passing over Russian ground stations, relying the rest of the time on NASA satellite links. The head of the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems company said that Ku-band links between the Russian segment and the Luch family of relay satellites should be in place by the end of this year. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 17)
JAPAN MULLS SEVEN-SATELLITE QZSS SYSTEM AS A GPS BACKUP - SEE MORE AT: - The Japanese government is considering adding an additional three satellites to the country’s domestic navigation system in order to ensure that it would work with or without the U.S.’s GPS system. Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, or QZSS, currently calls for four satellites, of which only one is in orbit. Colonel Shinichiro Tsui, a counsellor in Japan’s Cabinet Office, said here that the next three QZSS satellites are all scheduled to launch this year, followed by service activation in 2018. Those satellites, provided by manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric, would augment GPS signals, Tsui said, honing their positioning accuracy from sub-meter to centimeters. More (Source: SpaceNews - May 16)
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