For the 8th year running members of the Workington
Radio Club from West Cumbria are planning to visit the
Hebridean Islands off the West Coast of Scotland. This
year they will be joined once more by members of the
Sands contest group from Morecambe in Lancashire and
Brendan (EI6IZ).
The team of 11 operators will travel to the Island of
Tiree (EU-008) on the 1st October and operate
throughout the following week from their base in Caoles
on the North East coast of the Island.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
26 Sept 2011
RSGB Convention
The RSGB convention takes place this year on October
7th, 8th and 9th. Full details from
www.rsgb.org/rsgbconvention
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
NASA's UARS re-enters Earth's atmosphere
From Southgate Amateur Radio News;
NASA's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere.
The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined. During the re-entry period, the satellite passed from the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean, then across northern Canada, then across the northern Atlantic Ocean, to a point over West Africa. The vast majority of the orbital transit was over water, with some flight over northern Canada and West Africa.
Six years after the end of its productive scientific life, UARS broke into pieces during re-entry, and most of it up burned in the atmosphere. Data indicates the satellite likely broke apart and landed in the Pacific Ocean far off the U.S. coast.
Twenty-six satellite components, weighing a total of about 1,200 pounds, could have survived the fiery re-entry and reach the surface of Earth.
However, NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage.
The Operations Center for JFCC-Space, the Joint Functional Component Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which works around the clock detecting, identifying and tracking all man-made objects in Earth orbit, tracked the movements of UARS through the satellite's final orbits and provided confirmation of re-entry.
"We extend our appreciation to the Joint Space Operations Center for monitoring UARS not only this past week but also throughout its entire 20 years on orbit," said Nick Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This was not an easy re-entry to predict because of the natural forces acting on the satellite as its orbit decayed. Space-faring nations around the world also were monitoring the satellite's descent in the last two hours and all the predictions were well within the range estimated by JSpOC."
UARS was launched Sept. 12, 1991, aboard space shuttle mission STS-48 and deployed on Sept. 15, 1991. It was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical components of the atmosphere for better understanding of photochemistry. UARS data marked the beginning of many long-term records for key chemicals in the atmosphere. The satellite also provided key data on the amount of light that comes from the sun at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths.
UARS ceased its scientific life in 2005.
Because of the satellite's orbit, any surviving components of UARS should have landed within a zone between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. It is impossible to pinpoint just where in that zone the debris landed, but NASA estimates the debris footprint to be about 500 miles long.
For more information about UARS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/uars
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
NASA's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere.
The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined. During the re-entry period, the satellite passed from the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean, then across northern Canada, then across the northern Atlantic Ocean, to a point over West Africa. The vast majority of the orbital transit was over water, with some flight over northern Canada and West Africa.
Six years after the end of its productive scientific life, UARS broke into pieces during re-entry, and most of it up burned in the atmosphere. Data indicates the satellite likely broke apart and landed in the Pacific Ocean far off the U.S. coast.
Twenty-six satellite components, weighing a total of about 1,200 pounds, could have survived the fiery re-entry and reach the surface of Earth.
However, NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage.
The Operations Center for JFCC-Space, the Joint Functional Component Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which works around the clock detecting, identifying and tracking all man-made objects in Earth orbit, tracked the movements of UARS through the satellite's final orbits and provided confirmation of re-entry.
"We extend our appreciation to the Joint Space Operations Center for monitoring UARS not only this past week but also throughout its entire 20 years on orbit," said Nick Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This was not an easy re-entry to predict because of the natural forces acting on the satellite as its orbit decayed. Space-faring nations around the world also were monitoring the satellite's descent in the last two hours and all the predictions were well within the range estimated by JSpOC."
UARS was launched Sept. 12, 1991, aboard space shuttle mission STS-48 and deployed on Sept. 15, 1991. It was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical components of the atmosphere for better understanding of photochemistry. UARS data marked the beginning of many long-term records for key chemicals in the atmosphere. The satellite also provided key data on the amount of light that comes from the sun at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths.
UARS ceased its scientific life in 2005.
Because of the satellite's orbit, any surviving components of UARS should have landed within a zone between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. It is impossible to pinpoint just where in that zone the debris landed, but NASA estimates the debris footprint to be about 500 miles long.
For more information about UARS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/uars
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
5 MHz Newsletter now online
A new Newsletter has been launched to support the
growing number of 5 MHz operating permissions globally
- it's the 5MHz Newsletter. Edited by Paul Gaskell,
G4MWO, one of the original RSGB 5 MHz team, it aims to
be both an accurate information source of news about 5
Mhz and a platform for exchange of ideas, be they
theoretical, operational, constructional or just
general comments about the band. You can freely access
the 5 MHz Newsletter from Google Documents at
http://tinyurl.com/6fkhcmf
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
growing number of 5 MHz operating permissions globally
- it's the 5MHz Newsletter. Edited by Paul Gaskell,
G4MWO, one of the original RSGB 5 MHz team, it aims to
be both an accurate information source of news about 5
Mhz and a platform for exchange of ideas, be they
theoretical, operational, constructional or just
general comments about the band. You can freely access
the 5 MHz Newsletter from Google Documents at
http://tinyurl.com/6fkhcmf
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
Jelly Batteries
A new polymer jelly could be the next big step forward
for lithium batteries. The jelly replaces the volatile
and hazardous liquid electrolyte currently used in most
lithium batteries. Researchers from the University of
Leeds hope their development leads to smaller, cheaper
and safer gadgets. Once on the market, the lithium
jelly batteries could allow lighter laptop computers,
and more efficient electric cars.
_________________________
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
for lithium batteries. The jelly replaces the volatile
and hazardous liquid electrolyte currently used in most
lithium batteries. Researchers from the University of
Leeds hope their development leads to smaller, cheaper
and safer gadgets. Once on the market, the lithium
jelly batteries could allow lighter laptop computers,
and more efficient electric cars.
_________________________
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
Mayo Radio Experimenters Network
The Mayo Radio Experimenters, using the call sign
EI7MRE/P, activated the Blacksod lighthouse, IE0008,
which is sited on the north west coast of Mayo, on
Sunday August 21st for the International
Lighthouse/Lightships On The Air event. This was the
first time that this lighthouse was activated for the
occasion and the first lighthouse the club has
activated. Approximately 250 contacts were made into 22
countries and 6 UK and Dutch lighthouses were worked.
Best DX was Japan, Indonesia and Phillipeens. North
America was prominent too with limited openings to
South America. The bulk of the contacts were with
stations in Germany and Italy.
Plans are well underway for the 2011 Mayo Rally will be
held on Sunday Nov 20th in The Welcome Inn Hotel,
Castlebar. The Rally Director is Padraic Baynes, EI9JA.
More details about the club and its events can be found
on the web at www.ei7mre.org
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
EI7MRE/P, activated the Blacksod lighthouse, IE0008,
which is sited on the north west coast of Mayo, on
Sunday August 21st for the International
Lighthouse/Lightships On The Air event. This was the
first time that this lighthouse was activated for the
occasion and the first lighthouse the club has
activated. Approximately 250 contacts were made into 22
countries and 6 UK and Dutch lighthouses were worked.
Best DX was Japan, Indonesia and Phillipeens. North
America was prominent too with limited openings to
South America. The bulk of the contacts were with
stations in Germany and Italy.
Plans are well underway for the 2011 Mayo Rally will be
held on Sunday Nov 20th in The Welcome Inn Hotel,
Castlebar. The Rally Director is Padraic Baynes, EI9JA.
More details about the club and its events can be found
on the web at www.ei7mre.org
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
1 Sept 2011
NASA Moon Mission in Final Preparations for September Launch
NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)
mission to study the moon is in final launch
preparations for a scheduled Sept. 8 launch from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
GRAIL's twin spacecraft are tasked for a nine-month
mission to explore Earth's nearest neighbor in
unprecedented detail. They will determine the structure
of the lunar interior from crust to core and advance
our understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX
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