[aprssig] Wallops ADAMSat Launch Thurs 7-9 AM

[Robert Bruninga]

> The Wallops launch window is (Thursday) 7- 9 AM. 
> They require < 10% cloud cover, and the forecast 
> is not promising. But they  decided to go through 
> the preparations and launch if the cloud breaks 
> just enough tomorrow.
>
> Wallops Launch team will be "tweeting" about all 
> the launch news or delays as they happen on:
>
> http://twitter.com/KyspaceADAMASat

APRS stations can receive Launch announcements even while mobile
via the APRS CQSRVR.  Just send APRS message to CQSRVR beginning
with the group name CQ WALLOPS ...
(for info on cqsrvr see www.aprs.org/cqsrvr.html

Remember, Point beams towards Wallops and capture all data on
144.39 1200 baud for the duration of the flight! Which should be
visible over most of the mid-atlantic states.  Callsign will be
KJ4HVJ.

The sounding rocket with amateur satellite operates on 144.39
MHZ APRS will rise to 100 miles or so for an 8 minute mission.  

The payload is called SOCEM/ADAMASat.  There is a computer
program and GUI to interface to your PC so you can grab the
telemetry live.  It is on:
http://ssl.engr.uky.edu/adamasat_free_gui.exe

It's a one shot deal, so I'm gonna have a backup TNC and
HYPERTERM collecting everything.		
ADAMASat is the Antenna Deployment and Mono-filament Actuator
Satellite. It's a 2U CubeSat designed by Kentucky Space as part
of SOCEM, the Sub-Orbital CubeSat Experimental Mission.
ADAMASat, which is scheduled to launch on Hall 12.067 out of
Wallops Flight Facility on 11 March, will fly in space for
roughly 8 minutes performing an engineering experiment and
transmitting data down to Earth via APRS packets. 

More information on ADAMASat is available at
http://ssl.engr.uky.edu/suborbital/adamasat 

Kentucky Space is hereby releasing to the AMSAT-NA community the
ADAMASat FREE GUI, a free 32-bit Windows binary for amateur
radio operators in the Eastern United States who are interested
in tracking ADAMASat on its launch day. The GUI is a standalone
application and upon opening it on his/her computer, the HAM
will be greeted with a popup window which explains the steps
required to track the payload. 

All that is needed is a Windows machine, a radio and TNC which
can receive on 144.390 MHz, a serial or USB cable, and a
suitable location. The GUI parses the APRS packets as they are
received, graphing temperatures on-board the payload and
reporting status of the mission in real-time. It also includes
instructions on e-mailing the packet log to Kentucky Space to
aid in post-processing, and a built-in aggregator for the
official ADAMASat Twitter RSS feed. 

Disclaimer: Kentucky Space provides the GUI "as is" without
warranties of any kind, and shall not incur any liability for
any damages connected to the use of the GUI.