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Fall 2005 Issue |
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SATELLITES Artificially Propagating Signals Through Space By Keith Pugh, W5IU |
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Since the last column, PCSAT2 has been carried
up to the ISS (International Space Station) by mission STS-114 of the
Space Shuttle and installed during a space walk (EVA); the launch of SSETI
(the Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative) had been delayed
at least six months; and the 2005 Space Symposium due to be held in
Lafayette, Louisiana was canceled because of Hurricane Katrina. Also, get
ready for SuitSat and ISS SSTV! Launch: PCSAT2 was carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle on its return to service mission, STS-114. A few days later, 3 August 2005, it was installed on the external structure of the ISS during EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity). It has been operational since that time. Since it is physically attached to the ISS, tracking data is the same as for the ISS, and operation must be carefully coordinated with other ISS activities to avoid interference. It is part of another experiment, and as such will be retrieved after approximately one year of use. Like the original PCSAT, this one was designed and built by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, and his team of engineers from the US Naval Academy. Full details are available at: <http://web.usna.navy. mil/~bruninga/pcsat2.html>.
Capabilities: PCSAT2 is part of MISSE (the
Materials International Space Station Experiment) and provides the
following capabilities: |
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