HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 052.01 FROM AMSAT HQ

SILVER SPRING, MD, FEBRUARY 21, 1999

TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS

BID: $ANS-052.01



A new crew for the Mir space station successfully lifted off from the

Baikonur Cosmodrome this weekend. The three crew members are

Viktor Afanasyev, Jean-Pierre Heignere and Ivan Bella. The three are

expected to link up with Mir shortly. Indications are that this crew may be

involved in the Russian space station's final manned mission as the last

of more than 100 men and women who have lived aboard the craft.



The Mir space station was launched February 20, 1986 and was

expected to last only five years. Now observing its 13th anniversary, the

station's fate has not yet been sealed, as Russian space professionals

continue to work to keep the station in orbit for several more years.

However, Mir may be abandoned as early as August 1999 if private

donors to pay Mir's expenses can not be found. Mir's estimated budget is

around $250 million a year.



Dr. Bernard Pidoux, F6BVP, President of AMSAT-France told ANS that

French astronaut Jean-Pierre Heignere will spend 6 months aboard Mir

and is scheduled to perform two EVAs. One of the planned EVA's will

give him the opportunity to hand launch yet another Sputnik

nano-satellite built by AMSAT-France. This small satellite --the third in

the series-- will be called Sputnik 19. The 'launch' date is not known at

this time, so stay tuned to ANS for further details.



F6BVP also mentioned AMSAT-France is looking for children's voices,

spoken and recorded in Russian, to be put into the pre-recorded

messages that will be broadcast by Sputnik 19.



The three messages will be:



* This is radio Sputnik 19 in space

* 73's to all ham friends 

* Please QSL AMSAT-France



Dr. Pidoux asked if amateurs have the possibility to record such

messages using a computer .wav file, to please contact him before

sending the file. Contact F6BVP at the following e-mail address:



mailto:pidoux@ccr.jussieu.fr



[ANS thanks Dr. Bernard Pidoux, F6BVP, President AMSAT-France, and

Florida Today for this information]