AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 175.02 FROM AMSAT HQ

SILVER SPRING, MD, JUNE 24, 2001

TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS

BID: $ANS-175.02

AMSAT's Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, tells ANS that the ARISS-US team recently delivered a new packet module to NASA. This new packet module is expected to correct several of the problems that have been observed with the current ARISS packet system.

The new equipment is currently scheduled to go through a bench review inspection. If successful, the manifest calls for the module to be flown on Mission STS-105, planned for launch in early August 2001.

Expedition-3 astronaut Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, is planning to make the packet module change-out early in his ISS tour of duty. The current packet module will stay on Alpha where it will serve as a power supply for the 70-cm station that will be installed in the Service Module later this year.

Some of the features of the new ARISS packet module include:

* All pertinent parameters are embedded in the PROM, so the packet module should be fully functional even with a dead battery

* The new Russian callsign (RS0ISS) has been installed in the module. The Personal Mailbox System (PMS) uses the callsign RS0ISS-1

* A 1 megabyte memory for adequate PMS data storage

* 8-bit capability to support Russian Cyrillic typesets

* A one-minute timeout disconnect from the PMS if no pertinent packets are heard

ANS thanks the following individuals from ARISS-US who worked hard to make get this module ready for flight on the STS-105 mission:

Dan Schultz N8FGV

Lou McFadin W5DID

Gil Carman WA5NOM

Mark Steiner K3MS

Robert DiRosario KA3ZYX

Frank Bauer KA3HDO

Ken Nichols KD3VK

Carolynn Conley KD5JSO

[ANS thanks AMSAT-NA's Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, for this information]