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WG3K > ANS 15.04.24 01:44z 64 Lines 4103 Bytes #46 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : $ANS105.11
Read: GUEST
Subj: Satellite Shorts From All Over
Path: SR1BSZ<EA2RCF<LU9DCE<W0ARP<K7EK<KA1VSC<WG3K
Sent: 240415/0128Z 3135@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
NASA now knows what knocked Voyager 1 offline, but it will take a while
to fix. Voyager 1â€Ös remaining Flight Data Subsystem (its redundant copy
failed in 1982) is the reason that the distant spacecraft is currently
offline. Voyagerâ€Ös FDS were the first computers on a spacecraft to use
volatile memory. Unfortunately, one of Voyager 1â€Ös FDS memory chips is
malfunctioningâ€öNASA hopes they can work around it, but it will likely take
months.(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
If you have 26 minutes to spare, and want to explore more intricacies of
Ohmâ€Ös Law than you were taught in school, watch electricity flow through a
wire a nanosecond at a time at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw
(ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
Following repairs to a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon Heavyâ€Ös core
booster, NASA and SpaceX have rescheduled the launch of the GOES-U
satellite, the final installment in NOAAâ€Ös GOES-R Series, for June 25. The
adjustment aims to ensure thorough examination and resolution of the issue,
discovered during a routine inspection in February. With preparations now
back on track, the deployment of GOES-U from Kennedy Space Centerâ€Ös Launch
Complex 39A will proceed using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Managed
cooperatively by NOAA and NASA, the GOES-R Series Program encompasses
satellite operations, data dissemination, and ground systems oversight,
with NASAâ€Ös Goddard Space Flight Center leading spacecraft acquisition and
instrument development. Lockheed Martinâ€Ös contributions include design,
construction, and testing of the satellites, while L3Harris Technologies
has provided key instruments and ground systems essential for capturing
atmospheric observations. (ANS thanks Clarence Oxford, SpaceDaily, for the
above information)
The European Union is poised to finalize a security deal with the United
States, enabling payments to Elon Muskâ€Ös SpaceX for satellite launches due
to delays in Europeâ€Ös Ariane rocket system. Approved by national general
affairs ministers, the agreement grants European Union and European Space
Agency (ESA) personnel continuous access to launch facilities and
prioritized debris retrieval rights in case of SpaceX rocket failures. With
a 200 million deal already struck last year, SpaceX is contracted to launch
four Galileo satellites as Ariane 6 faces further delays. While Ariane 6 is
slated for a summer launch, commercial missions await later scheduling. The
arrangement with SpaceX allows for two Galileo satellite launches this
year, necessitated by Soyuz launcher cancellations and Ariane 6 delays. The
security pact ensures access to classified Galileo equipment, with
provisions for debris retrieval and a sunset clause by 2027 to address
concerns about reliance on SpaceX over Ariane. (ANS thanks Joshua Poaaner,
Politico Europe, for the above information)
NASA has been tasked by the White House to establish a lunar-centric time
reference system, known as Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), to aid missions
requiring extreme precision on the moon. The agency has until the end of
2026 to set up LTC, which is not akin to Earthâ€Ös time zones but provides a
frame of time reference for the moon. LTC will accommodate the slightly
faster passage of time on the moon, approximately 58.7 microseconds each
day compared to Earth, due to its lower gravity. It will serve as a
benchmark for timekeeping for lunar spacecraft and satellites, crucial for
their missions. NASAâ€Ös Artemis program, set to begin astronaut missions to
the lunar surface in 2026, necessitates LTC for synchronization among
Earth, lunar satellites, bases, and astronauts, without which data
transfers and communications could be compromised. Developing LTC will
require international agreements, possibly influenced by the Universal
Coordinated Time (UTC) standard, with potential implementation involving
atomic clocks on the moon and adherence to existing space agreements like
the Artemis accords. (ANS thanks Diana Ramirez-Simon, The Guardian, for the
above information)
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