AMSAT-France built a new microsat



     October 27, 1998



     AMSAT-F has delivered in September a new model of Sputnik Satellite

     (Sputnik 41) This satellite will be on board the space station MIR the

     27 of October 1998. It will be launched by hand during a Space Walk

     probably around the 11th of November. It should take the name of RS18.

     This satellite is part of the programm of school satellite made by

     AMSAT France in collaboration with Russian school.



     The satellite has been financed by the "Aeroclub de France" for his

     100 birthday.



     Technical characteristics :

     Size:       same as RS17 ( 20 cm diameter)

     Weight:     3,5 kg.

     TX:         150 mW with 4 circular polarized antennas

     Frequency:  145.8125 MHz +/- 5 KHz +/- doppler.

     Lifetime:   between 20 and 30 days (no solar cells).

     Message:

     the cycle is a 5 secondes message every 10 secondes.

     There are 2 recorded messages read in French, English and Russian

     The complete cycle comprizes 9 records :



     1: telemetry (Audio Frequency tone. See frequency versus internal

        temperature table below)

     2: French message:

        "1998 etait l'annee internationale de l'air et de l'espace"

        (message read by Aurelie Boivin 12 years old, daughter of F6CWN and

         F6IFR)

     3: English message

        "1998 was the International year of Air and Space"

         (Read by Constantin Tsiolkvosky-Sambourov,14 years old,

         great-grand son of Tsiolkvosky inventor of rockets and son of

         Sergej Sambourov RV3DR)

     4: Russian message read by Michael Tsiolkvosky-Sambourov, 12 years

     5: a record of the RS18 beep-beep

     6: French message

        "Programme spatial international de satellite educatif"

        (by Gerard Auvray F6FAO)

     7: English message:

        "International space school Sputnik Programm"

         read by Victor Kourilov chief of the project

     8: Russian message read by Sergev Sambourov RV3DR (grand son of

        Tsiolkvosky) and responsible of the amateur activity on MIR.

     9: Same as 5.



     Telemetry of RS-18 internal temperature:

     -38 degrees: 179 Hz

     -30 degrees: 273 Hz

     -20 degrees: 440 Hz

     -10 degrees: 634 Hz

     + 0 degrees: 830 Hz

     +10 degrees: 1025 Hz

     +20 degrees: 1200 Hz

     +30 degrees: 1308 Hz

     +40 degrees: 1405 Hz

     +45 degrees: 1447 Hz

     +50 degrees: 1483 Hz