STS-79 SAREX Fact Sheet
Last updated 10:42 AM EDT on 07/25/96
SAREX FACT SHEET - STS-79
Media Contact:
Jennifer Gagne
Media Relations Assistant
American Radio Relay League
(860) 594-0328 (860) 594-0200
Educational Contact:
Bob Inderbitzen
Educational Activities Department
American Radio Relay League
(860) 594-0213 (860) 594-0200
SHUTTLE-MIR MISSION WILL INCLUDE HAM RADIO
(SAREX MISSION STS-79 FACT SHEET)
The fourth in the joint American-Russian space shuttle missions will again
include Amateur Radio. Ham radio operators and students will attempt to
make radio contacts with the orbiting shuttle as part of a project called
SAREX, or the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment. Amateur Radio has been
flying aboard the shuttles since 1983, providing the public with a unique
vantage point of space.
Amateur (or "ham") Radio operators from around the world will point their
antennas at the Space Shuttle Atlantis, hoping to find the astronauts are
on-the-air. Some of these amateurs have volunteered to assist student
groups that have prepared questions to ask the astronauts during specially
scheduled contact times. These questions may be about the significance of
this particular flight--a docking mission with the Russian Space Station
Mir. During the flight, the shuttle will rendezvous and dock with Mir,
ferrying supplies, personnel, and scientific equipment to the complex 240
miles above the Earth.
To make their radio contacts, the astronauts will use a radio aboard the
shuttle, on frequencies used by ham radio operators. The contacts will
demonstrate to young people, teachers, parents and communities how Amateur
Radio and space energize students about science, technology, and learning.
For the students that participate in SAREX, the contact is the culmination
of months of hard work. Many of the students have studied space science,
communication, and have trained to use ham radio equipment and shuttle-
tracking computer software.
To operate Amateur Radio from the space shuttle, one or more of the
astronauts needs to have an Amateur Radio license. Astronaut Jay Apt will
serve as a Mission Specialist, and has Amateur Radio call sign N5QWL. Jay
has flown on 3 previous shuttle missions, and has operated Amateur Radio
during each flight. He flew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during
mission STS-37 in April 1991, performing two space walks. His next flight
was from the Shuttle Endeavour during STS-47 in September 1992. He flew
again aboard Endeavour on STS-59 in April 1994.
Making his 5th shuttle mission is John Blaha who will serve as a Mission
Specialist. John first participated in SAREX during his last shuttle
mission, STS-58, aboard Columbia in October/November 1993. He's since
earned ham radio call sign KC5TZQ. His first space mission was STS-29
aboard Discovery in March 1989. He again served on Discovery for STS-33 in
November 1989, and on Atlantis during STS-43 in August 1991. During this
mission, Blaha will switch places with astronaut Shannon Lucid, remaining
with the Mir Space Station. He'll conduct material, fluid, and life science
research for 5 months with the Mir 22 and Mir 23 Cosmonaut crews, and
return to Earth aboard mission STS-81 in December 1996. Shannon has been
aboard Mir since STS-76 in March 1996.
Astronaut Carl Walz is KC5TIE. He participated in SAREX from Columbia
during STS-65 in July 1994, before earning his Amateur Radio license. His
first mission was STS-51 in September 1993. During that flight, Carl
participated in a space walk to evaluate tools for the Hubble Space
Telescope servicing mission.
The remaining crew members include Commander William F. Readdy (STS-42 in
January 1992, STS-51 in September 1993), Pilot Terrence W. Wilcutt (STS-68
in September/October 1994), and Mission Specialist Thomas D. Akers (STS-41
in October 1990, STS-49 in May 1992, and STS-61 in December 1993.
WHEN: Launch is scheduled for September 12, 1996 at 6:26 AM EDT (1026 UTC)
from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Landing is
scheduled for September 21, 1996 at 11:30 AM EDT (1530 UTC) at the Kennedy
Space Center, Florida. 9 day, 5 hour mission.
WHERE: The launch will place the shuttle into Earth orbit at an altitude of
196-245 statute miles (315-394 km) and an inclination of 51.6 degrees.
WHY: NASA's intent in making astronauts available for SAREX operations is
to involve the largest possible numbers of people, particularly students,
in technology and the US space program with the help of Amateur Radio.
During SAREX missions, the astronauts will typically make the following
types of Amateur Radio contacts:
Scheduled radio contacts with schools.
Random radio contacts with the Amateur Radio community.
Personal contacts with the astronauts' families.
CREW MEMBERS (titles and Amateur Radio call signs):
William F. Readdy, Commander
Terrence W. Wilcutt, Pilot
Thomas D. Akers, Mission Specialist
Jay Apt, Mission Specialist, N5QWL
Carl E. Walz, Mission Specialist, KC5TIE
Mir Upload: John E. Blaha, Mission Specialist, KC5TZQ
Mir Download: Shannon W. Lucid, Mission Specialist
PAYLOAD: STS-79 is the fourth in the joint American-Russian shuttle-Mir
series of missions. During the flight, the shuttle crew will dock with the
Russian Mir Space Station, ferrying supplies, personnel, and scientific
equipment to the complex 240 miles above the Earth. The payload bay will
house a SPACEHAB module to carry the 7000 pounds of items and experiments.
Additional STS-79 mission information can be obtained from NASA:
* NASA Shuttle World Wide Web Home Page: http://shuttle.nasa.gov
* NASA Spacelink computer information system (look under
Spacelink.Hot.Topics)
BBS: (205) 895-0028 [VT-100, 8-N-1]
Telnet, FTP, and Gopher: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
World Wide Web: http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
Internet TCP/IP address: 192.149.89.61
SAREX SPONSORS: The Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) is sponsored
by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), The Radio Amateur Satellite
Corporation (AMSAT) and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA). SAREX is supported by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Schools are selected from around the world to make
contact with the shuttle during most SAREX missions. These contacts are
prearranged, giving the schools a greater chance at making a successful
contact. A few students at each of the selected schools ask questions of
the astronauts during the contact. The nature of these contacts embodies
the primary goal of SAREX--to excite students' interest in learning. The
following schools were selected by the SAREX Working Group for a scheduled
radio contact during this mission:
Andover Middle School
Andover, Kansas
Immaculate Conception Elementary School
Celina, Ohio
The Royal School For Girls
Haslemere, Surrey, England
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS-
SAREX RADIO FREQUENCIES: During most SAREX missions, many of the crew
members will make random contacts with earth-bound hams. They make these
contacts during their breaks, before and after meal time, and during their
pre-sleep time. In fact, over the past years the astronauts have contacted
thousands of amateurs around the world.
Since this flight is a shuttle-Mir docking mission, and SAREX and Mir
Amateur Radio stations sometimes share the same downlink frequency (145.55
MHz), the SAREX Working Group has decided to use the following frequencies
during this mission.
The crew will use separate receive and transmit frequencies. PLEASE do not
transmit on the shuttle's DOWNLINK frequency. The DOWNLINK is your
receiving frequency. The UPLINK is your transmitting frequency.
FM Voice Downlink: 145.84 MHz
FM Voice Uplink: 144.45, 144.47 MHz
The crew will not favor either uplink frequency, so your ability to
communicate with SAREX will be the "luck of the draw." Transmit only when
the shuttle is within range of your station, and when the shuttle's station
is on-the-air.
CALL SIGNS:
FM voice call signs N5QWL, KC5TIE, and KC5TZQ
QSL VIA: Send reports and QSLs to ARRL EAD, STS-79 QSL, 225 Main Street,
Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA. Include the following information in your
QSL or report: STS-78, date, time in UTC, frequency and mode (FM voice). In
addition, you must also include a SASE using a large, business-sized
envelope if you wish to receive a card. The Bergen Amateur Radio
Association in New Jersey has generously volunteered to manage the cards
for this mission.
SHUTTLE TRACKING: Current Keplerian elements to track the shuttle are
available from the following sources:
* NASA Spacelink computer information system
BBS: (205) 895-0028 [VT-100, 8-N-1]
Telnet, FTP, and Gopher: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
World Wide Web: http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
Internet TCP/IP address: 192.149.89.61
* NASA SAREX WWW Home Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/sarex/sarex_mainpage.html
* ARRL
W1AW news bulletins (frequencies and times listed under "FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION")
BBS: (860) 594-0306
World Wide Web: http://www.arrl.org/sarex/
* AMSAT
World Wide Web: http://www.amsat.org
* Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club
BBS: (713) 244-5625
* Goddard Amateur Radio Club
BBS: (301) 286-4137
World Wide Web: http://garc.gsfc.nasa.gov/www/garc-home-page.html
Packet: WA3NAN on 145.090 MHz in DC area
CONFIGURATION: During STS-79, the SAREX hardware will be flown in
configuration M. Configuration M uses the shuttle/Mir VHF radio for FM
voice radio contacts.
During final approaches to the Mir Space Station, a VHF radio is used by
the shuttle Commander to radio the Mir crew by ship-to-ship communications,
providing shuttle status and keeping them informed of major events from
that point on, including confirmation of contact, capture and conclusion of
damping. This same VHF radio is used by the crew for SAREX activities
during shuttle/Mir docking missions.
SAREX ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST:
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation in North America (AMSAT-NA)
operates the Internet host AMSAT.ORG to provide for efficient
communications between people interested in the amateur satellite program.
Periodic mailings to the SAREX list include information and press releases
pertaining to SAREX missions. This mailing list is very active during SAREX
missions, and can be fairly quiet in between missions. To subscribe to the
SAREX mailing list, send a message with your request to listserv@amsat.org.
Be sure to include your call sign (if any), your correct email address, and
the proper name of the mailing list you wish to receive (SAREX). Your
request will be processed manually for now, so the format of your request
is not important. To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send another
message with your request to listserv@amsat.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Contact the American Radio Relay League
Educational Activities Department
225 Main Street, Newington CT 06111-1494 USA
Telephone (860) 594-0301, FAX (860) 594-0259, ARRL BBS (860) 594-0306
Internet sarex@arrl.org
World Wide Web http://www.arrl.org/
CompuServe 70007,3373
Prodigy PTYS02A
America Online HQARRL1
ARRL's (Newington, CT) Amateur Radio station (call sign W1AW) transmits
news bulletins (9:45 PM, 12:45 AM EST) on HF bands at 1.855, 3.99, 7.29,
14.29, 18.16, 21.39, 28.59 megahertz (MHz) and in the Connecticut-area on
VHF at 147.555 MHz. W1AW bulletins are also forwarded on packet.
Members of the Goddard Amateur Radio Club (Greenbelt, MD) re-transmit live,
shuttle air-to-ground audio over the amateur frequencies from their club
station, WA3NAN. To listen-in, tune to Amateur Radio high frequency (HF)
bands at 3.86, 7.185, 14.295, 21.395, and 28.65 megahertz (MHz) and in the
Maryland/DC area on a very high frequency (VHF) band at 147.45 MHz.
The "SAREX Bulletin" contains additional general information on SAREX. This
document may be obtained electronically from many of the popular on-line
electronic services (look for SAREXFAQ.TXT).
The American Radio Relay League, Newington Conn. USA
STS79FCT.TXT
RJI 7/24/96
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