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www.southgatearc.org
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RAFT, ANDE, MARSCom and GeneSat-1 satellites going up this weekSpace Shuttle Discovery was successfully launched on Saturday carrying to orbit three new satellites, RAFT-1, MARSCOM and ANDE designed, built, and tested by the Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy's Satellite Laboratory in Annapolis, Maryland. The RAFT-1 and ANDE satellite downlinks will be 145.825 MHz. The frequencies used by MARSCOM are on Navy-Marine Corps MARS frequencies. For full technical details please refer to: Another feature of the RAFT mission will allow amateur radio operators to listen to the signal as the satellite crosses the National Space Surveillance Network satellite radar tracking system. RAFT has a 216.98 MHz direct conversion receiver down to 145.825 MHz so you will hear the radar ping on RAFT's downlink. It will be a tone proportional to the Doppler as it flies through the radar fence, lasting about one second. GeneSat-1, a secondary payload aboard the Minotaur Launch Vehicle, will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on December 11, 2006, about 7:00am EST. The Minotaur launch window is 3 hours, 1200z-1500z. GeneSat-1 is a 10 x 10 x 30 cm. spacecraft, which will conduct a cellular biology technology demonstration. Of particular interest to the amateur radio satellite community, is the GeneSat-1 beacon. Operating at 437.075 MHz FM, the beacon sends an AX.25 packet every 5 seconds; the packet contains data about the spacecraft systems operation. Full details are available on the mission website
Source: Amsat, US Naval Academy and GeneSat teams
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