[SixClub] ESA announces SSETI Express telemetry download competition

[W9FS - Jerry]

This comes from the ARRL news letter and may be of some interest to all
VHFers


* ESA announces SSETI Express telemetry download competition:

The European Space Agency (ESA) education department has announced an award
to the radio amateur who submits the largest number of valid telemetry and
payload packets from the student-built SSETI Express satellite. Telemetry
may be received on any band to qualify for the award.

SSETI Express is scheduled for launch September 27 from Plesetsk in northern
Russia. It will downlink telemetry and payload data in AX.25 format at 9k6
bps on 437.250 MHz and at 38k4 bps on 2401.835 MHz. The satellite later will
also be available as a single-channel Amateur Radio FM transponder All radio
amateurs interested in competing for this award are encouraged to download
the necessary software from the SSETI Express Web site
<http://www.sseti.org/express> and to use the SERACC system to forward the
telemetry and payload data to SSETI Express Mission Control. Submissions
will be automatically recorded, and the Web site will display a leader
board, and the winner will be the amateur at the top of the leader board at
0000 UTC on January 1, 2006.

The winner will be offered the opportunity to visit the Student Technology
Education Conference and Exhibition next spring in Germany. The three day
event is similar to the AMSAT-NA Symposium and the AMSAT-UK Colloquium. In
addition, the winner will be invited to visit ESA's Mission Operations
Centre (ESOC) near Darmstadt, Germany, for a private escorted tour of the
facilities. ESOC currently controls many orbital and deep-space missions and
will be responsible for
the European Columbus module when it joins the International Space Station.
The prize includes economy-class travel, accommodations and a modest daily
subsistence allowance.

============================================//



Regards,
The SIX METER WORLD WIDE CLUB team
Jerry W9FS
Six Club Director, SC# 66

Jerry N4AVM
Contest Director
(contests at 6mt.com)

Chris KC9CAU
Awards/Certificate Director
(awards at 6mt.com)