SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001   
   ARLS001 NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for   
   Nanosatellite's Beacon Signal   
      
   ZCZC AS01     
   QST de W1AW     
   Space Bulletin 001  ARLS001   
   From ARRL Headquarters     
   Newington, CT  January 20, 2011   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB SPACE ARL ARLS001   
   ARLS001 NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for   
   Nanosatellite's Beacon Signal   
      
   On Wednesday, January 19 at 1630 UTC, engineers at Marshall Space   
   Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama confirmed that the NanoSail-D   
   nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology   
   Satellite (FASTSAT). According to NASA, the ejection event occurred   
   spontaneously and when engineers at Marshall identified and analyzed   
   onboard FASTSAT telemetry; the ejection of NanoSail-D also has been   
   confirmed by ground-based satellite tracking assets.   
      
   NASA is asking radio amateurs to listen on 437.270 MHz for the   
   signal and verify NanoSail-D is operating. Hams should send   
   information to the NanoSail-D dashboard via the web at,   
   http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm .   
      
   NASA said that the NanoSail-D science team is hopeful the   
   nanosatellite is healthy and can complete its solar sail mission.   
   "This is great news for our team," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D   
   principal investigator and aerospace engineer at the Marshall   
   Center. "We're anxious to hear the beacon which tells us that   
   NanoSail-D is healthy and operating as planned. The science team is   
   hopeful to see that NanoSail-D is operational and will be able to   
   unfurl its solar sail." As of Thursday, January 20, the NanoSail-D   
   dashboard is reporting that beacon data has been received, but NASA   
   still wants amateurs to track and report the signals.   
      
   On December 6, 2010, NASA triggered the planned ejection of   
   NanoSail-D from FASTSAT. At that time, the team confirmed that the   
   door successfully opened and data indicated a successful ejection.   
   Upon further analysis, however, the team found no evidence of   
   NanoSail-D in low-Earth orbit (LEO), leading them to believe   
   NanoSail-D remained inside FASTSAT. The FASTSAT mission has   
   continued to operate as planned with the five other scientific   
   experiments operating nominally.   
      
   "We knew that the door opened and it was possible that NanoSail-D   
   could eject on its own," said FASTSAT Project Manager Mark   
   Boudreaux. What a pleasant surprise we had Wednesday morning when   
   our flight operations team confirmed that NanoSail-D is now a free   
   flyer."   
      
   If the deployment is successful, NASA said that NanoSail-D will stay   
   in LEO between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions.   
   NanoSail-D is designed to demonstrate deployment of a compact solar   
   sail boom system that could lead to further development of this   
   alternative solar sail propulsion technology and FASTSAT's ability   
   to eject a nanosatellite from a micro-satellite -- while avoiding   
   re-contact with the FASTSAT satellite bus.   
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
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   Providing   emergency   communications  assistance  to  your   
   neighbors and community isn't just a good thing to do,  it's   
   the first and foremost activity recognized in the U.s. rules   
   governing amateur radio in 47 CFR section 97.1. IF you enjoy   
   amateur  radio  remember  that  this  is  an  obligation you   
   tacitly agreed to when you acquired your license.   
      
      
      
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    * Origin: RRN BBS: Your fidonet ham radio connection! (1:116/901)