[ARRL-OK] Current News Update from the "CQ" Magazine Newsroom

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

ARISSat-1 Should Be On the Air Today 

The ARISSat-1 satellite was supposed to have been turned on
from inside the International Space Station at 0600 UTC today
(April 12), according to AMSAT, and should be in operation
until at least 1030 UTC tomorrow (April 13). As of this time,
however, there is no confirmation that the satellite has been
activated. The activation was scheduled to mark the 50th
anniversary -- today -- of the first manned space flight on
April 12, 1961, by Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

ARISSat-1 is currently aboard the International Space Station
awaiting a hand-launch in the summer. 

According to the ARISSat-1 website, once the satellite is
activated, "the 145.950 MHz FM downlink will transmit messages
(in) a continuous sequence, one of which is the Gagarin-to-ground
station conversation, famous "Poyekhali" (Let's Go!) from Yuri
Gagarin from Earth orbit.

This downlink frequency will also transmit spoken telemetry,
SSTV images, and pre-recorded messages of goodwill."