ARLA/CLUSTER: Radio-balão australiano escutado na África do Sul

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Australian pico balloon heard in South Africa and stateside

The balloon PS-58 launched in Melbourne four weeks ago is floating
slowly just south of the equator near South America, as it edges
easterly.

Jim Linton VK3PC says keeping track of the flight are Ken ZS6KN in
Pretoria South Africa, Jim W8AC in Ohio and John AT4AT of Virginia
USA.

At last report to Andy VK3YT his solar powered balloon was 9,000
metres in altitude, temperature was minus 25 degrees and all seemed to
be going well. This balloon that was launched on December 29 is
expected to reach mainland South America.

Its tiny 30 metre band signal on WSPR and JT9 allows further trackers
to watch its progress.

• In VK5 the Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program (SHSSP) is
jointly organised by the International Space University (ISU) and the
University of South Australia. It is a unique, five week live-in
experience focusing on an international, inter-cultural and
interdisciplinary (3 "I"s) educational philosophy for which the ISU is
renowned.

The Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program have asked the Amateur
Radio Experimenters Group, (AREG) who have considerable experience
with high altitude balloon launches and recoveries through Project
Horus, to provide a balloon launch this coming Australia Day, the 26th
of January 2016.

The balloon launch will take place, weather conditions favourable,
from the Mt. Barker High School in the Adelaide Hills, just east of
Adelaide.

The launch is expected to be released between 09:30 to 09:45 am local
CDST January 26th, or 23:00 to 23:15 UTC January 25th .

The balloon is expected to carry two payloads, one supplied by the
SHSSP participants as part of their course project and the usual AREG/
Horus telemetry payloads. Telemetry will the normal RTTY mode on
434.450 MHz USB.

Check the details closer to the launch date.

Further details may be found on AREG's website at www.areg.org.au

Ben Broadbent VK5BB