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NASA Seeks Ham Operators' Help To Test NanoSail-D

Posted by timothy on from the testing-testing-one-two-three dept.

SEWilco writes "Despite our older headline, NanoSail-D was not 'Lost in space.' It was stuck in its canister. The solar sail nano-satellite finally ejected on Wednesday. The three-day countdown to sail deployment began then, so we'll have to see what happens next." And clm1970 adds "In another conventional use for an arguably unconventional hobby given the technology of 2011, NASA is requesting the help of Amateur Radio or 'ham operators' to help listen to a beacon signal of the nano-satellite. Many say the hobby is dying, but for every 'death knell,' it seems another application brings it back to life to prove its usefulness."

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Ham operators are VERY important by assemblerex · · Score: 2, Informative

    When shit hits the fan, ham radio is there to keep basic communications open.
    It is possible to connect ham radio to a phone line and get someone in the disaster area
    connected to a phone line to a president or similar, regardless of how bad the infrastructure is hit,
    It will work. All these guys with ham gear are crucial, more than we can imagine.
    For the billions we waste on crap we never use, like flying humvee prototypes, we could afford to
    subsidize these guys a bit. Even a $500 homeland security rebate would keep (in the us) ham
    radio alive and kicking for years.

  2. I know it's usually thought of as old, but... by Gazoogleheimer · · Score: 5, Informative

    As an amateur radio operator (biased, I know, and not just my plate voltage)....I know it's usually regarded as an 'old' hobby that is 'dying'. The humor in this, of course, is that it's a gadget-obsessed hobby with increasingly high-tech equipment and significant quantities of programming and research regarding digital transmission modes and DSP, not to mention software-defined radio and other sorts of things. It's a geeky hobby, yes, but this is Slashdot. "arguably unconventional hobby given the technology of 2011" seems both uninformed and, admittedly, a bit silly regarding where it's being said.

  3. just for posterity by FudRucker · · Score: 4, Informative

    Q: whats the frequency kenneth?

    A: The NanoSail-D beacon signal can be found at 437.270 MHz.

    --
    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
  4. Beacons have been received by Jon_Hanson · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to this: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/nanosaild.html the beacons they asked amateur radio operators to listen for have been received and the satellite appears to be operating normally.

  5. Re:Flight Path? Timeline? Ground Plot? Sky Chart? by Slyder · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm has the current position and flight path.