[RVRC] hams to help with cube satellite

[Marvin Bronstein]

  Engineers and interns at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, are awaiting launch of Phonesat on a Antares rocket April 17, 2013. This small cubesat is one built under Ames Research Center's Small Spacecraft Technology Program.


  Phonesat will transmit its health status on amateur radio frequency 437.425 MHz using packet (AX.25). Amateur radio operators have the great opportunity to contribute to the project by submitting them to Phonesat's packets page at 

   PhoneSat project will demonstrate the ability to launch the lowest-cost and easiest to build satellites ever flown in space - capabilities enabled by using off-the-shelf consumer smartphones to build spacecraft. Engineers kept the total cost of the components to build each of the three prototype satellites in the PhoneSat project to $3,500 by using only commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and keeping the design and mission objectives to a minimum for the first flight.