Gary Anderson
ganderson@clark.net
***** Forwarded Message *****
=========
SpaceNews
=========
MONDAY MARCH 4, 1996
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is
published every week and is made available for unlimited free distribution.
* CELESTIAL BBS SHUTDOWN *
==========================
After over 10 years of near continuous operation, the Celestial BBS operated
by Dr. T.S. Kelso will be shut down sometime around mid-March. Dr. Kelso
will be moving again and since there has been very little activity lately
on the system, there is little point in establishing a new line for the BBS
at the new residence. Of course, the orbital elements will continue to be
provided via the Internet and Dr. Kelso will establish a WWW site to
distribute the software at this location before the move. Dr. Kelso would
like to take this opportunity to thank each and every supporter of his
Celestial BBS these many years and looks forward to seeing everyone on the
new Internet site in the near future!
[Info via Dr. T.S. Kelso, relayed by Donald Roland]
* STS-76 LAUNCH VISIBILITY *
============================
The launch of Atlantis on the morning of 21-Mar-96 will provide a rare
opportunity for shuttle watchers in the eastern United States. Space
Shuttle Atlantis will launch at night into a high inclination orbit for
its nine day Mir rendezvous mission. Viewers from Florida to Boston
might be able to see the Shuttle as it streaks up the coast.
Usually, the Space Shuttle can only be seen by reflected sunlight when
it is already in orbit. However, on this particular mission, viewers can
watch the Shuttle *during* the launch when its main engines will be bright
enough to be seen from hundreds of miles away! The Shuttle will be visible
for only a few minutes after launch and only while the engines are running.
MECO (main engine cut off) usually occurs at about T+8 minutes into the
flight. Shortly after MECO, viewers in the Northeastern United States and
Canada may also see a flash or two from the separation of the external tank.
If you want to try to watch the Shuttle launch, try to find a location with
a clear unobstructed view of the horizon because Atlantis will not get very
high in the sky. It will rise from the south-east and travel north. Look
roughly south-east a few mintes after launch for a bright, fast moving
streak low in the sky. Binoculars are not needed.
The launch is scheduled for 3:34 am EST on March 21, 1996. Don't worry
about launch delays keeping you up all night. Since this is a MIR rendezous
mission, the launch window will be very short. Atlantis must launch within
a few mintues of 3:34 am or NASA will scrub the launch attempt.
Additional STS-76 mission information can be obtained from NASA
on the World Wide Web at http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov.
If you live in the New Jersey area and would like to organize a gathering
to watch this event, please contact the author at dquagliana@aol.com.
[Info via Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW]
* LINUX SOFTWARE *
==================
Discussions heard between Space Shuttle "Columbia" and mission control
on NASA TV last week indicate that computers running under the Linux
operating system are being used on STS-75. Linux is powerful 32-bit
multiuser, multitasking operating system similar to Unix in many ways
except cost and licensing.
Linux can run on most 386, 486, and Pentium-based personal computers in
addition to Amiga and Atari computers. It is currently being ported to
the ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, and PowerMac computers, and a 64-bit version is
available for the DEC Alpha.
Linux was designed a few short years ago by Linus Torvalds, a graduate
student at the University of Helsinki in Finland who took his first
courses in `C' and Unix in the Fall of 1990. By October 1991, Linux
version 0.02 was announced and this attracted the attention of thousands
of programmers and software developers on the Internet. International
collaboration in the development of Linux has resulted in a very powerful
operating system whose capabilities are growing faster than those of
commercial operating systems.
Part of the enthusiasm behind Linux development is rooted in the fact that
like Unix, the Linux operating system is hardware independent. As a result,
it is possible to author software for Linux that will operate equally well
under many hardware platforms, whether they be a powerful mainframe or a
small laptop. Its growth and development are reminiscent of the
telecommunication innovations brought to the world through the efforts
of Amateur Radio Operators over the years. Linux also supports a wide
variety of networking protocols, including AX.25 (Amateur Packet Radio)
at the kernel level, a feature not many other operating systems can claim.
There already exists quite an extensive list of Amateur Radio and Amateur
Satellite related software applications for the Linux operating system.
That list will grow later this week with the release of the following
programs written by KD2BD:
predict: A multiuser satellite orbital prediction program that
also provides optical visibility information
dove : A simple DOVE-OSCAR-17 telemetry decoding program
uo11 : A simple UoSAT-OSCAR-11 ASCII telemetry decoding program
kepgen : A program that allows the creation of Keplerian data
files in the NASA 2-line format from data entered
through the keyboard
These programs are free for the asking and must be used for non-commercial
purposes only. They were written in `C' and compiled using the highest
level of optimization possible from GCC compiler version 2.5.8. The
resulting executable files are in an a.out binary format. These programs
will be made available via anonymous FTP at pilot.njin.net in the
/pub/SpaceNews/linux subdirectory or uploaded to the AMSAT-OSCAR-16
or LUSAT-OSCAR-19 satellites by request. All programs include on-line
manual pages with the exception of "predict" which contains a built-in
help option.
Further information on the Linux operating system may be obtained through
the World Wide Web at: http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html and many
other sites around the world. A link to a HAM-HOWTO page describing other
free Amateur Radio software available for Linux may also be accessed
through this site.
Incidentially, the Linux operating system has been used exclusively for
the creation and circulation of SpaceNews since the release of "Windows 95"
in August of 1995. Perhaps SpaceNews can also be referred to as the first
Amateur newsletter edited and circulated entirely under Linux. :-)
* THANKS! *
===========
Thanks to all who sent messages of appreciation to SpaceNews, especially:
N1ESK KE4PNM Rick Denis
And MY thanks to all those who circulate SpaceNews around the world and
translate SpaceNews into languages other than English every week. YOUR
work is very much appreciated!
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John,
KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below:
FAX : 1-908-747-7107
FTP : pilot.njin.net cd to /pub/SpaceNews
WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@pilot.njin.net
SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19
MAIL : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
Department of Engineering and Technology
Advanced Technology Center
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, New Jersey 07738
U.S.A.
<<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>
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