dna@dsd.UUCP (02/25/84)
February 10, 1984 AMSAT has agreed to supply the primary controller for an Space Shuttle Get-Away Special experiment package. The GAS package, with 12 experiments mostly in the Biological sciences, is a community sponsored project in the Texas cities of El Paso and Ysleta. The experiment is the primary GAS package on STS 41-F, currently scheduled for launch August 9, 1984. This mission will be the second flight for Discovery, the third orbiter in America's shuttle fleet. The GAS experiment slot was originally obtained by the local Coors Beer distributor in 1977. The experiments are being designed and built by El Paso/Ysleta high school students. Technical advisors have been supplied by the local Gas and Electric companies. Funds and other support have been obtained from community members. When the original supplier of the controller backed out of the project, El Paso/Ysleta put out a general call for help. AMSAT accepted the challenge of designing and building the required hardware in the few months remaining. The basic requirements of the controller match the requirements of the PACSAT low power portable ground station controller. A team within AMSAT had already been formed to do that design, and the group had forward momentum built up from work on the Digital Communications Experiment, which will fly as part of the University of Surrey's UOSAT-B satellite on March 1, 1984. The controller will monitor and record the temperature in each of the 12 experiment compartments. The temperature will be controlled in some areas by switching a heater on and off. Several experiments require movements of an actuator, controlled by a stepper motor. Although the GAS experiment does not relate directly to amateur radio, AMSAT will gain experience with the shuttle and the GAS program, requirements for the PACSAT project which hopes to deploy from a GAS can in 1986. The controller design will be used for the low power portable PACSAT ground stations required by VITA, co-sponsor of the PACSAT project. Funding for the GAS controller will be supplied by the El Paso/Ysleta group. The GAS controller will be implemented under the auspices of AMSAT's PACSAT project. Lyle Johnson, WA7GXD, is the group leader for the controller project. Much of the work will be done by Bill Reed, WD0ETZ, manager of PACSAT ground station design, and his group in Dallas. Chuck Green, N0ADI in Tucson will be involved in system design. Harold Price, NK6K will coordinate software activities.