AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-142

ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North
America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS reports on the
activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share
an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating
through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:



In this edition:
* AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Due by June 15th
* The May 2011 issue of the AMSAT-INDIA newsletter is now available
* Masten Signs Contract With Space Florida For Demonstration Launches
* Satellite Shorts From All Over
* ARISS Status - 16 May 2011


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.01
AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Nominations Due by June 15th

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 22, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-142.01

It is time to submit nominations for the upcoming open seats on the
AMSAT-NA Board of Directors. The deadline is June 15th. A valid nom-
ination requires either one Member Society, or five current individual
members in good standing, to nominate an AMSAT member for the position.

Four director's terms expire this year:

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
Alan Biddle, WA4SCA
Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
Tony Monteiro, AA2TX

The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be
seated as full Board members for two year terms. The two candidates
receiving the next highest number of votes will be seated as alternate
Board members for one year terms.

Beginning this year, in addition to traditional submissions of written
nominations which remains unchanged and is the preferred method, initial
nominations may be made by electronic means.* These include e-mail,
FAX, or electronic image of a petition. Electronic petitions should be
sent to or faxed to 301-608-3410. Written nominations,
consisting of names, calls, and individual signatures, should be mailed
to:

AMSAT-NA
850 Sligo Ave #600
Silver Spring, MD, 20910

No matter what method is used, petitions MUST arrive no later than
June 15th at the AMSAT-NA office. If the nomination is a traditional
written nomination, no other action is required. If it is other than
this, i.e. electronic, a verifying traditional written petition MUST
be received at the AMSAT-NA office at the above address within 7 days
following the close of nominations on June 15th. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS
WITHOUT THIS SECOND, WRITTEN VERIFICATION ARE NOT VALID UNDER THE EXIST-
ING AMSAT-NA BYLAWS.

Alan Biddle
WA4SCA
AMSAT Corporate Secretary

[ANS thanks Alan, WA4SCA, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.02
The May 2011 issue of the AMSAT-INDIA newsletter is now available

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 22, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-142.02

Topics in this month's edition include:
- HAMSAT (VO-52) Completes Six years in orbit.
- Update- Meeting with distinguished guests from ISRO at AMSAT INDIA
ground station.
- Update on the CubeSat Communication system project by AMSAT INDIA.
- High Intercept Low Noise Amplifier with GaAs pHEMT MMIC By: Goran
Popovic AD6IW
- News from AMSAT organizations around the world

Download the newsletter from
http://amsatindia.org/Newsletter/AMS...s-May_2011.pdf

Previous issues are available at:
http://www.amsatindia.org/Newsletter/

Regards

Nitin [VU3TYG]
Secretary, AMSAT India

www.amsatindia.org

[ANS thanks Nitin, VU3TYG, for the above information]

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.03
Masten Signs Contract With Space Florida For Demonstration Launches

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 22, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-142.03

Masten Space Systems and Space Florida announced contract under which
Masten will perform a series of demonstration flights of a Vertical
Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) reusable suborbital launch vehicle
from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Under the contract, Masten will complete multiple flights. These oper-
ations will serve as a pathfinder to assist Space Florida in developing
operational requirements for VTVL vehicles, recommending the optimum
operational scenario, and determining the program schedule to achieve
launch capability as soon as possible.

The upcoming flights will also enable Masten to fully evaluate Florida,
CCAFS, and LC-36 as a base for the company's flight operations group.
"We look forward to successfully completing our demonstration flights
and better understanding what is needed for operations in Florida,"
said David Masten. "Space Florida and the 45th Space Wing have been
very helpful as we continue to develop operational concepts for
Florida."

[ANS thanks Masten Space Systems for the above information]

/EX

SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.04
Satellite Shorts From All Over

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 22, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-142.04

+ The new edition of the popular SolderSmoke amateur radio podcast
is now available. One of the topics on this edition includes the
Space Station Packet Beacon. You can listen on-line at:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke134.mp3

+ Congratulations to Ben, KC0PCQ on his first satellite contacts.
Ben wrote, "I've been grinning ear-to-ear for a little while now
that I have my first satellite contacts completed. Thank you to
my #1 - K8YSE, #2 - AC0RA, #3 - W7JPI, #4 - WA4NV, and #5 - K8TL.

+ Congratulations to Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK on being awarded satellite
VUCC #210!

+ On-line photos and videos of the Endeavor Shuttle launch can be
found in many places. The first two links here are from amateur radio
operators who were at the launch:
Ken, KK0HF got these photos from the press area:
http://radiogeek.us/NASA2/
Bobby, KF4GTA was also in the press area and posted these photos:
http://bit.ly/jvdhNv
Launch videos can be viewed at the UniverseToday site:
http://tinyurl.com/65wou9s

+ The next Hudson Valley Satcom Nets "HV Satcom" Net ia scheduled for
May 26, at 8PM EDT (UTC-4) on the 146.970 MHz repeater, (Pl 100),
and also on Echolink node N2EYH-L. More info: http://www.hvsatcom.org
(Stu, WA2BSS)

/EX


SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-142.05
ARISS Status - 16 May 2011

AMSAT News Service Bulletin 142.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
May 22, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-142.05

1. Upcoming School Contacts

The ARISS team continues to work on the school contact schedule.
The next contacts to be held are dependent on the launch date of
STS-134.


2. Recent ARISS Contacts

On Monday, May 9 students from St. Michael School in Schererville,
Indiana and astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS took part in
an ARISS contact. The school partners with the Challenger Learning
Center in Hammond, Indiana and provided students with this ARISS
contact to highlight its science curriculum. Approximately 430 stu-
dents, teachers and guests watched and listened as 16 questions about
life in space were asked and answered. Contact video was streamed
on the internet and representatives from three newspapers covered the
event. The Times posted an article. See:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/l...icle_1a1b5c1d-
0f5d-5f33-b9ae-25bad21e6e9e.html

Mount Carmel Academy students from Houston, Texas participated in an
ARISS contact with on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO on Tuesday,
May 10 via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. This was Garan's first
ARISS contact and he handled nine questions, providing comprehensive
answers. The contact complemented lessons on the International Space
Station as well as amateur radio and Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club
provided follow-on educational support. News of the ARISS contact
reached
approximately 580,000 households through the Comcast Channel 18
simulcast
of Houston Independent School District news andthrough KUHF, the local
PBS radio station. See:
http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_...hp?articles_id
1305066316

Students from Tecnico Industriale Statale "Gerolamo e Margherita Mon-
tani," in Fermo, Italy established an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli,
IZØJPA on Thursday, May 12. The contact highlighted the school
curriculum
which focuses on Chemistry, Biotechnology, Electronics, Computer
Science,
Telecommunications and Mechanics. Nespoli fielded 21 questions posed by
the youth over two ISS passes. The event was attended by nearly 300 stu-
dents and visitors and video was streamed over the internet.

An ARISS contact was held between students from Primary School Pasquale
Luisi and Secondaria Di 1° Grado Virgilio, both located in Foggia,
Italy,
and ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli on Saturday, May 14. An audience of 200
attended the event and listened as Nespoli spoke to the students over
two consecutive ISS passes, answering a total of 18 questions. Through
this contact and related studies, students were introduced to amateur
radio, astronauts and the International Space Station.

[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]

/EX


In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the
President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors
to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive additional benefits.

Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.

73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS