The American Radio Relay League--Educational Activities Department 
 
Space Shuttle Mission -- STS-67 
Background for the Classroom 
  
Student's Name:_________________________________________________ 
 
Mission Number: STS (Shuttle Transport System) - 67 
Length of Mission: 16 days - Launching on March 2, 1995 
Vehicle: The Space Shuttle Endeavour 
Altitude: 352 kilometers 
Orbital Period: 90 minutes 
 
Crew: (name, title, Amateur Radio call sign) 
Stephen S. Oswald, Commander, call sign KB5YSR 
William G. Gregory, Pilot, call sign KC5MGA 
Tamara E. Jernigan, Payload Commander, call sign KC5MGF 
John M. Grunsfeld, Mission Specialist 
Wendy B. Lawrence, Mission Specialist, call sign KC5KII 
Ronald A. Parise, Payload Specialist, call sign WA4SIR 
Samuel T. Durrance, Payload Specialist, call sign N3TQA 
 
Mission objectives: 
 
SECOND FLIGHT FOR ASTROPHYSICS SPACELABORATORY - ASTRO-2 
(Excerpts from NASA's STS-67 Payload Handbook) 
 
Astro-2 is a re-flight of the ultraviolet portion of the Astro-1  
Astrophysics Spacelab payload, which flew in December 1990. It consists of  
three experiments mounted on a cruciform structure which is designed to  
interface with the Instrument Pointing System (IPS) adapter plate and the  
payload clamping system. The experiments are conducted by three separate  
and complementary ultraviolet (UV) telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet  
Telescope (HUT), the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter and Experiment  
(WUPPE) and the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT). 
 
The telescopes are aligned to each other, on a single pointing system, on  
two Spacelab pallets, and can perform observations on selected targets.  
This complement of instruments will obtain scientific measurements between  
400 Angstroms (A) and 3000 A for as many as 36 observations during a  
typical mission day. 
 
 
SHUTTLE AMATEUR RADIO EXPERIMENT 
 
The STS-67 crew will take on the role of teacher as they educate students  
in the United States and other countries about mission objectives. Using  
the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX), astronauts aboard the Shuttle  
Endeavour will discuss with students what it is like to live and work in  
space. The crew has scheduled Amateur Radio contacts with student groups  
from 26 locations, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut,  
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New York,  
North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, South Africa, India and  
Australia. They'll also make random contacts with the Amateur Radio  
community (hams) and personal contacts with the astronaut's families. 
 
 
FOR THE CLASSROOM 
 
SAREX integrates Amateur Radio, satellite communications and space  
education into one exciting experience. Here are some classroom ideas to  
help your students maximize their SAREX experience. 
 
 
     AMATEUR RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM- 
 
1. What is communication? Communication is sharing information. People  
communicate. Animals communicate. Even machines communicate. Communications  
consists of three elements: A sender, a receiver, and a language. When a  
message goes to a receiver, symbols are being transmitted, not ideas. When  
the symbols mean the same to the sender and the receiver, communication  
takes place. 
 
Try this Gossip Game: Have one person start a short phrase to be whispered  
from person to person, all the way around the classroom. Have the last  
person receiving the message repeat it aloud. Compare the message with the  
original phrase. Did communication take place? Did everyone communicate? 
 
Make a simple communications system with the following materials: 2 cans  
(juice, coke, soup, etc.) and 16 foot piece of string or wire. Cut one end  
out of the cans, and punch a small hole in the middle of the other end of  
the can. Push the string through the holes and knot to secure. Stretch the  
string out its full distance, and have someone talk into the open end of  
the can, and someone else listen at the open end of the other can. What are  
the five elements of communication in this system: Source? Transmitter?  
Channel? Receiver? Destination? (answers: Voice, Can, String, Can, Ear). 
(From "Aerospace Communications") 
 
2. What is Amateur Radio? Invite a local radio club to your school. Contact  
ARRL if you need assistance locating a club in your area. Have the  
volunteers demonstrate shortwave radio, VHF/UHF radio, and packet  
(computer) radio. 
 
3. Earn licenses. Begin an Amateur Radio license class at school. Have  
students prepare for their Technician class licenses. Encourage students  
who want to earn Technician Plus licenses to learn the Morse code at home,  
or during their own "free" time. All Technician class licensees have full  
access to the popular VHF/UHF frequencies. They can communicate using  
voice, Morse code, or packet (computer) radio; and they may even use the  
Amateur Radio satellites. 
 
4. Establish a packet radio station. Packet radio is popular in schools  
because it is small, inexpensive, and computer-oriented. A typical packet  
radio station consists of a VHF/UHF radio (sometimes a hand-held radio), a  
typical home computer, and a ham radio modem or "TNC" (Terminal Node  
Controller). Packet radio users send and receive messages to each other,  
similar to electronic mail (email). Instead of using a computer telephone  
modem, however, packet radio users "send" and "receive" messages over the  
radio airwaves, and "connect" to Amateur Radio bulletin board systems  
(BBSs). Hundreds of students participate in a program called Packet Pals,  
exchanging packet radio messages with other schools in the US and around  
the world. Schools share project data with each other on topics such as  
weather, soil analysis, and even on their own cultures, language and local  
"fads". Contact ARRL if you'd like a list of schools with packet radio  
"addresses". 
 
5. Establish a shortwave station. Make contacts with Amateur Radio  
operators from different countries. 
 
6. Recommended reading (publications may be ordered directly from ARRL by  
calling 1-800-326-3942): 
     * "Now You're Talking!"-all you need to get your first ham license.  
(ARRL order #4173) 
     * "ARRL Technician Class Video Course"-ARRL's premier licensing  
course. 5 hours of exciting video instruction. (ARRL order #4572; or with  
the Computerized Exam Review Software, ARRL order #4580) 
     * "Your Packet Companion"-covers everything for the packet radio  
newcomer. From assembling a station to sending mail, from packet satellites  
to the latest networking systems. Its straightforward writing style and  
clear drawings will get you on the cutting edge of digital ham radio in no  
time. (ARRL order #3959) 
 
 
     SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS- 
 
1. Eavesdrop on the astronauts! When a shuttle mission carries the SAREX  
payload, the Goddard Amateur Radio Club's station, WA3NAN, typically  
retranmits all of the Space Shuttle-to-mission control communications. You  
can listen in on the astronaut's conversations with NASA! The  
retransmissions may be received on a shortwave radio. They are usually  
accompanied by NASA mission commentary. WA3NAN operates on the high  
frequency (HF) bands at 3.86, 7.185, 14.295, 21.395, and 28.65 MHz. And, in  
the Greenbelt MD area try 147.45 MHz (FM). 
 
2. Track a satellite. Use computer software to track satellites and Space  
Shuttles from your classroom. The STS-67 Keplerian tracking elements may be  
found in the "STS-67 SAREX Fact Sheet" and are included for deriving the  
whereabouts of the shuttle throughout Endeavour's mission. Have high school  
and college-level students study the included material describing the  
purpose and function of Keplerian elements ("Those Keplerian Elements"). 
 
3. Satellite "Snap Shots". Have students use computer tracking software to  
locate and plot the following satellites: DOVE (Brazil DO-17), OSCAR 13  
(USA/Germany AO-13), FUJI OSCAR 20 (Japan FO-20), RS-15 (Russian), KITSAT- 
25 (Korea KO-25), and Space Shuttle Endeavour (during mission STS-67).  
Students should create a log for each satellite, and record the following  
information for each "snap shot": date, local time, UTC time, satellite  
latitude and longitude, AOS (when will it reach their location so they can  
"hear" the satellite), LOS (when will they "lose" the satellite's signal). 
(Adapted from "A Touch of Space", Sheila Perry, Bloomfield MO) 
 
3. Recommended reading (publications may be ordered directly from ARRL by  
calling 1-800-326-3942): 
     * "The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook"-has the information you need  
to communicate through or receive signals from a growing "fleet" of  
orbiting satellites and Space Shuttles. Whether your interest is in Amateur  
Radio, weather, TV-broadcast or other spacecraft, you'll find an immense  
store of valuable data--everything from satellite design to ground station  
equipment and antennas. (ARRL order #3185) 
 
 
     SPACE EDUCATION- 
 
1. NASA's got it! The NASA Education Division is tasked with demonstrating  
"the application of science, mathematics, technology and other subject  
matter in NASA's quest for new knowledge and understanding in aeronautics,  
Earth and space sciences" (excerpt from NASA's Education Program, EP-297).  
NASA has materials and services designed for elementary and secondary  
students, and higher education programs. Contact your regional NASA Teacher  
Resource Center (TRC) for publications, reference books, slides, audio  
cassettes, videocassettes, telelecture programs, computer programs, lesson  
plans and activities, and lists of publications available from government  
and non-government sources. TRCs are located at NASA centers throughout the  
US, and often specialize in materials related to the science being  
conducted at the particular center. A list of TRCs may be found in the  
"SAREX Bulletin". 
 
2. Space Simulation. Using Amateur Radio in the classroom, students can  
conduct a mock-shuttle launch and mission. Students at the mission control  
center communicate with the shuttle using VHF base radios. They send and  
receive telemetry using packet (computer) radio. On the shuttle, students  
use base radios and handhelds. They might even conduct a "space walk".  
Assign students to teams, and set goals. Most importantly, let students use  
their imagination. 
 
Here are some ideas other schools have used in their simulations: 
     * Plan a model rocket launch for launch day. 
     * Have students conduct real science experiments throughout the  
simulation. You'll be surprised how seriously they'll conduct their work  
when the classroom environment has been made fun. Have students aboard the  
"shuttle" relay results using packet radio. 
     * Have your principle designate a "Space Week". 
     * Have students plan and follow a "timeline", from launch to landing. 
 
 
     SAREX- 
 
1. Establish a SAREX station. Have your local Amateur Radio club and AMSAT  
volunteers assist you in attempting to make a random voice or packet radio  
contact with the astronauts, from your classroom. 
 
2. Submit a SAREX school application to ARRL. Application information can  
be found in the "SAREX Bulletin". 
 
3. Have students create questions they'd ask the astronauts.  
 
4. Distribute SAREX participation certificates to students that have  
successfully completed this space communication module. 
 
 
THOSE KEPLERIAN ELEMENTS 
 
Several satellite tracking enthusiasts have asked for some insight on the  
set of numbers they punch into their PC's to get antenna pointing  
information. 
 
These primary Keplerian elements, as they are called, are derived from  
classical astronomical motions. They are coefficients that, when inserted  
into a special set of equations, solve for the position of a low earth- 
orbiting satellite with respect to a terrestrial observer at a given time.  
In a sense, satellite motion is rather simple. An ellipse! The fact that we  
are trying to track this simple motion from a point inside the path, on a  
spinning ball, makes for the more interesting challenge! 
 
First, the Keplerian element set is tied to a specific reference time. This  
is called the EPOCH. The epoch value contains the date and time in decimal  
notation. A value of 92318.500000 represents November 13, 1992 at 1200 UTC.  
(November 13 is the 318th day of 1992.) Now that a snapshot in time is  
established for the satellite we must get the orbit characteristics one at  
a time: plane, shape, orientation, size, and position. The most basic  
description of any orbit is its INCLINATION. This specifies the tilt of the  
plane of the satellite orbit with respect to the plane of the earth's  
equator. At a glance this information can tell a northern USA ham watching  
for SAREX whether he may have a line-of-sight viewing opportunity. 
 
To describe the orbital plane position, the RIGHT ASCENSION OF THE  
ASCENDING NODE (RAAN) is given. The RAAN references "where" the inclined  
orbit is at the epoch. Convention places this as the longitude directly  
under the satellite path crossing the equator northward. ECCENTRICITY is  
the shape of the satellite path. For a nearly circular orbit this figure is  
nearly zero. As shown in high school geometry class, as an ellipse is  
"flattened" (approaches a straight line) its eccentricity approaches unity.  
The orientation of this orbit path must be further refined. The ARGUMENT OF  
PERIGEE provides the orientation by revealing the point over the earth of  
the satellite's closest approach. It is an angle with the RAAN as  
reference. Next, the "size" of the orbit path must be obtained. The MEAN  
MOTION does this for us. This figure is given as the number of orbits per  
UTC day. The reciprocal of mean motion is the orbital period. The apparent  
westward progression of the ground track of many satellites can be  
approximated by dividing 360 degrees by the mean motion. Some programs  
prefer to use the SEMIMAJOR AXIS over mean motion. These constants are  
directly related, therefore only one of the two is required. Finally, the  
location on the orbital path is needed. The MEAN ANOMALY provides an  
angular position of the satellite with reference to the perigee at the  
epoch time. The term is also used to label scheduled portions of orbits.  
The MA or "phase" can be noted in either angular portions of a "circle" or  
(dimensionless) portions of 256 equal time intervals of an orbit. These are  
the minimum number of terms required to pinpoint a given amateur satellite.  
Other terms are included to determine some secondary concerns. For example,  
the CATALOG NUMBER and international designator are labels used by  
governments for keeping track of orbital "fragments". The ELEMENT SET  
denotes the relative age of the Keplerian data. The EPOCH REVOLUTION is the  
age of the lofted satellite in orbits. The DECAY RATE or drag factor allows  
better prediction precision in orbital computations. And CHECKSUM is a  
means to detect a set with an error. 
 
Other helpful information such as Doppler shift can be derived here as  
well. However, to determine something like spacecraft attitude, a more  
sophisticated tracking model and additional input data are required. So, a  
low earth satellite can be tracked with Keplerian elements that include the  
time (epoch), the orbital plane description (inclination and RAAN), the  
shape of the orbital path within the place (eccentricity), the orientation  
of the path (argument of perigee), the size of the orbit (mean motion), and  
the position of the orbital path (mean anomaly). The antenna pointing  
angles are then produced by your tracking program for the times it  
calculates the satellite to appear above your horizon using these numbers. 
 
Happy tracking! --Pat Kilroy, WD8LAQ, AMSAT-NA volunteer (from "AUTO-CALL",  
November 1992). 
 
 
The American Radio Relay League--Educational Activities Department 
Space Shuttle Mission -- STS-67
Background for the Classroom 
225 Main Street 
Newington CT 06111-1494 
phone: (203) 666-1541 
Internet: ead@arrl.org 
 
STS67LSN.TXT 
RJI 2/1/95 
eof
