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WG3K > ANS 24.06.25 00:04z 66 Lines 4207 Bytes #999 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS173.9
Read: GUEST
Subj: Satellite Shorts From All Over
Path: HB9ON<DK0WUE<PD0LPM<IR0AAB<VK2RZ<W0ARP<K5DAT<WW6Q<WG3K
Sent: 250623/2338Z 19053@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
+ ARRLs Logbook of the World (LoTW) is the primary means for providing
confirmations for AMSAT awards such as GridMaster, Rover, and Reverse VUCC,
as well as ARRL Awards, such as VUCC, DXCC, and Worked All States. Almost
all satellite operators use it. As a part of the ongoing modernization of
the ARRL systems infrastructure, LoTW will be receiving major upgrades to
the operating system it is running on, the relational database system it
uses to store and access logbook and awards data, and server hosting, where
it will be fully migrated to the cloud. These changes will, among other
improvements, ensure LoTW performance needs can be better met based on user
demand. *LoTW will be unavailable from June 27 to July 2, 2025, to complete
these upgrades. *(ANS thanks ARRL for the above information.)
+ A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in a huge fireball on a test stand late
Wednesday, June 18 during preparations for its next launch. The upper stage
Starship vehicle experienced a “major anomaly” before starting a test fire
at around 11 p.m. local time, SpaceX said on social media. All personnel
were safe and there were no hazards to the residents of nearby communities,
SpaceX, a commercial space launch company, said. (ANS thanks *The New York
Times* for the above information.)
+ Astronomers have discovered that the largest comet from the Oort Cloud, a
shell of icy bodies at the very edge of the solar system, is bursting with
chemical activity. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
(ALMA) in Chile, the team discovered that C/2014 UN271, an 85-mile-wide
(137 km) body around 10 times the size of the average comet and also known
as Bernardinelli-Bernstein, is erupting with complex and evolving jets of
carbon monoxide gas. Now located halfway between the sun and the solar
systems furthest planet, Neptune (or 16.6 times the distance between the
Earth and our star), C/2014 UN271 becomes the second-most distant comet
originating from the Oort Cloud that has been seen to be chemically active.
Full article at http://bit.ly/4nb7W0c (ANS thanks Space.com for the above
information.)
+ Chinas Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites had been moving toward each
other in geosynchronous orbit, around 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers)
above the equator, Spacenews reported on June 6. And now the pair appear to
have had a brief first encounter, according to observations from the
ground. Optical tracking by the space situational awareness firm s2a
systems shows a close approach between the two on June 14, with the pair,
at times, virtually unresolvable from the other. This suggests that
Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 made at least a test-run close approach and may
have even performed a docking and undocking test. Full article at
http://bit.ly/407WHLV (ANS thanks Space.com for the above information.)
+ Honda has successfully tested an experimental reusable rocket, the
company said, as it seeks to expand into the space sector. The automaker,
which hopes to develop the tech prowess for a suborbital launch by 2029,
conducted a test flight of its rocket on the northern Japanese island of
Hokkaido. The prototype device, around six metres (20 feet) tall, landed
only 37 centimetres from its designated landing spot after the one-minute
flight. (ANS thanks AFP and spacedaily.com for the above information.)
+ Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four
galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could
contain some of the Universes ‘missing matter, addressing a decades-long
mystery. The astronomers used the European Space Agencys XMM-Newton and
JAXAs Suzaku X-ray space telescopes to make the discovery. Over one-third
of the ‘normal matter in the local Universe – the visible stuff making up
stars, planets, galaxies, life – is “missing.” It hasnt yet been seen, but
its needed to make our models of the cosmos work properly. While weve
spotted filaments before, theyre typically faint, making it difficult to
isolate their light from that of any galaxies, black holes, and other
objects lying nearby. (ANS thanks the European Space Agency for the above
information.)
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