RadFxSat (Fox-1B) Nearing Completion

RadFxSat flight unit has been assembled and is going through various stages of testing before it is put through environmental (shock, vibe, bakeout) testing in August  for completion in early September.  Launch is scheduled for January 20, 2017.

In a recent test stop in Fox Labs for a few days, most of the testing was streamed live on YouTube to give enthusiasts an opportunity to “look over the shoulder” of VPE Jerry Buxton, N0JY as he conducted tests on the flight unit along with other Fox Engineering Team members on GoToMeeting.

If you missed the live video, you can view the archives at

http://www.youtube.com/c/n0jy/live

RadFxSat is expected to be back in Fox Labs around August 11 for another round of tests and it is planned to have live streaming during those tests as well.

View of live streaming from YouTube
View of live streaming from YouTube

Take Advantage of the Timing: Attend the ARISS International Face-to-face Meeting

If you plan to be on the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium Cruise, you have the perfect opportunity to attend the ARISS-International Face-to-face Meeting in Houston. The ARISS meeting was purposely scheduled immediately following the cruise to allow Symposium attendees to take advantage of already being near Houston.

The ARISS-International Face-to-face Meeting takes place on November 15-18 in the ISS Conference Facility at 1800 Space Park Drive, Nassau Bay, TX 77058, across the street from the NASA Johnson Space Center gate.

A special tour of NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) will be hosted on Monday afternoon, November 14.

The scheduling of the ARISS-I meeting following the AMSAT Space Symposium is meant to encourage symposium attendees to attend the ARISS-I meeting as observers. Meetings are always open to the public. There is no registration fee.

The meeting coincides also with ARISS’s 20 th anniversary. In November 1996, the first international ARISS meeting took place at NASA JSC. At this year’s meeting, ARISS will commemorate its 20 successful years.

ARISS will soon distribute a web link for taking advantage of a special room rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites-Clear Lake/NASA at 506 W, Bay Area Blvd, Webster, TX 77598. Hotel rooms can be shared to save money. The Hampton Inn is near JSC and transportation for the special JSC tour will be coordinated to and from the hotel among the team.

The detailed meeting agenda is still being worked and will center around ARISS’s hardware development project and future initiatives, sustaining ARISS in the future through strategic partnerships and fundraising, and making a quantum improvement in educational outcomes. Other topics and discussions will be held on:

-How ARISS can leverage into an international effort the phenomenal outcomes the ARISS United Kingdom team members achieved during Astronaut Tim Peake’s mission.

-Educating the international team on the expectations of ARISS’s new benefactors, NASA Space Communications and Navigation and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space

-A celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of ARISS at the NASA Johnson Space Center

-Additional topics critical to the future of ARISS.

The ARISS team welcomes all AMSAT members and the public to the ARISS-International Face-to- face Meeting. ARISS hopes attendees will decide to begin volunteering after learning what ARISS is all about

Those interested in coming on November 15-18 can e-mail Rosalie White ([email protected]) or Frank Bauer ([email protected]).

AMSAT thanks Rosalie White, K1STO, for the above information.

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AMSAT Symposium at Sea Update

Get ready to set sail for the 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting – at sea! With only a few months between now and our sailing date of November 10, cabins are starting to fill up quickly. If you have not made reservations, please consider doing so to ensure your cabin preference may be accommodated. While our AMSAT group reservation has a negotiated rate for category 4B inside cabins, many group members have opted to reserve ocean view and balcony cabins.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

– Booking your Carnival Cruise does not register you for the AMSAT Symposium. There is a charge for each Symposium attendee of $40.  This fee applies to those who will attend the technical presentations only and includes a copy of the printed Proceedings. Additional guests are entitled to attend all other events. Registration form is available from the AMSAT office or store website.

– The AMSAT 2016 Space Symposium Cruise flyer included in the 2016 Board of Directors ballot mailing lists an incorrect group booking code. The correct AMSAT group code is 8Z0FR5.

– Ground transportation options have been added to the FAQ page on the AMSAT Symposium web page. Carnival offers round-trip transportation from HOU airport to the cruise terminal at approximately $74 per person, IAH airport $94 per person.

CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:

– Symposium registration: http://store.amsat.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=130

– Cruise registration: 1-800- 438-6744 extension number 70005. Our group name is AMSAT and the group code is 8Z0FR5. Outside of the USA, the number to call is +1 305-599- 2600 extension number 70005 (not available on weekends.)

DATES AND LOCATION:

– 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting
November 10-14 aboard the Carnival Liberty departing from Galveston, Texas.

– 2016 AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting
November 9-10 at the DoubleTree Galveston Beach Hotel, Galveston, Texas.

-2016 ARISS International Meeting
November 15-18 at the ISS Conference Center, Houston, Texas. The hotel is the Hampton Inn & Suites-Clear Lake/NASA, Webster, TX. Special tours of NASA Johnson Space Center and a special operations event are planned. Email Frank Bauer at [email protected] or Rosalie White at [email protected] if you are interested in attending.

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AMSAT-NA Board of Directors Ballots in the Mail

Ballots have been mailed to AMSAT-NA members in good standing, and must be returned to the AMSAT-NA office by September 15, 2016 in order to be counted. Those sent outside North America were sent by air mail. If you have not received your ballot package in a reasonable time for your QTH, please contact the AMSAT-NA office. Your completed ballot should be sent as promptly as possible, and those from outside North American preferably by air mail or other expedited means.

This year there are five candidates:

Tom Clark, K3IO
Clayton Coleman, W5PFG
Mark Hammond, N8MH
Bruce Paige, KK5DO
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM

The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be seated as voting Board Members with two year terms. The two candidates receiving the next highest number of votes will be non-voting Alternate Board Members with terms of one year. Please vote for no more than three candidates.

Please take the time to review the candidate statements that accompany the ballot and determine who you wish to see on the Board. Election of Board members is both an obligation as well as an opportunity by our membership to help shape the future direction of AMSAT-NA.