Latest Space News - Echoes of Apollo

Press Releases

RELEASE : 10-002

March, 09, 2010 – No Embargo – Immediate Release

Plans to Build a Global Space Network being Assessed

Robert Brand, well known Australian space activist, space science commentator and keen space historian is proposing a global deep space network made by linking existing large dishes. Echoes of Apollo has been kind enough to allow him to tell others about this opportunity through their website, but are not currently part of this project. They are in no way involved in the project at this time. Robert is part of the Echoes of Apllo team, but this proposal is being made at a personal level.

Brand is working on a bold plan to build a Global Deep Space Network capable of communicating with distant spacecraft. It would be used for a large variety of missions from low earth orbit to distant planets, but would have significant other uses such as satellite Telemetry, Tracking and Control as well education and science.

The Space Network would need to have its headquarters based in Australia to attract funding and possible grants available at this time in Australia. The network will be capable of communicating with distant spacecraft or commanding spacecraft in earth orbit. It would be used for a large variety of missions from satellite data collection to spacecraft on the moon or travelling to distant planets. It is also expcted to have other major uses such as satellite Telemetry, Tracking and Control as well education and science when not tracking spacecraft.

Brand said “Normally it would cost well over US$100M to construct a new network and who has that money? Well, we simply are using older infrastructure that we will own or lease as part of that network. We will apply for government grants in countries where the assets are located and we will also organise a number of stakeholders who may want preferential rates once the system is operational. The grant money, although very useful, is not essential to the project.”

The dishes that we wish to bring into the Network are distributed evenly around the world.

Western Europe: we have access to several 30m (100ft) dishes

North America: We are looking to by a 30m (100ft) dish

Australia: we are looking to have a long term lease on a 30m (100ft) dish.

We need the “gain” or” amplification” provided by a large dish to ensure reliable deep space communications. The network is only as good as the weakest link so 30m is a good size. The dishes are capable of tracking rapidly moving satellites in low earth orbit and upgrades to the original tracking and drive systems will ensure suitable capabilities for very low orbit fast moving craft.

The network and the refurbished dishes will be very reliable. The dishes are either currently in use and well maintained or will be brought back to as close as possible to factory specifications.

The underpinning network will be a global redundant fiber optic loop linking all systems and sites. This will include exit and entry points from each site and hopefully via different carriers and different cables and routes. The low delay of fiber optic networks are also a bonus with few issues when controlling remote sites. Data Access points will be available in Europe, USA and Australia. The centers will be able to provide standard services to those launching spacecraft into orbit or those carrying out missions to other destinations in our solar system.

We will strive to make the system as sensitive as possible with the latest low noise amplifiers and in some centers may even have separate transmit and receive dishes to increase the sensitivity for communicating with distant sites and spacecraft.

Brand said “We expect a wide range of users from the space sector, science and education. It is even expected that at some sites, amateur radio operators will also have access for space based communications. Research and education access is expected to be available when missions are not scheduled. With the new direction from the US government, many new launch facilities are being built and the need for comprehensive coverage of space missions will increase. Even the Google Lunar Xprize is likely to create  massive need for new communications services”.

“Right now we are looking for customers, stakeholders, volunteers, shareholders and a wide variety of end users especially those from the education sector. We are looking to build the optimum system that can give the right priorities to those needing the services. Stakeholders and their needs must be identified early in the process for the right components to be put in place. The business model looks sound as the costs to build the network are very low, however we need more data. We need to understand the possible end user requirements to complete the model and better understand the costs of equipping each site. With more data comes more accuracy and certainty”.

The network will be run by professionals with the highest standards and experience in the field of tracking and space communications. It will grow and be able to be operated by local staff in each country.

In addition to data security and security ratings of the professionals running the sites, the site sare located in secure environments with controlled access. Security will be increased to ensure operations are not interrupted during critical phases of operations.

Planning will be the single greatest workload for the foreseeable future. Preparing solid plans and requests for grants will be key to success. We will need to finance these activities and welcome suggestions from future stakeholders about opportunities for funding.

Regional Specifics:

Australia: We will need funding or a grant and to possibly to partner with an education group such as a university to qualify for current government grants to lease and carry out the modifications to an existing operational dish and will need to do so quickly.

North America: We will need funding or a grant to lease of buy the site and refurbish the site with the appropriate technology .

Europe: We will need funding or a grant to add the desired technology to the site and upgrade the tracking system

Who do we Contact for More Information?

At this time please refer all contact dirctly to Robert Brand. He s located in Sydney and can be reached at:

Robert Brand

robert.brand@sltnet.com.au

+61 401 947 377  (within Australia 0401 947 377)

Please note the time difference is 10 hours ahead of GMT and at the time of writing 11 hours ahead due to daylight saving

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Jan. 21, 2010

Group Formed to Save Iconic Moon Dish

Sydney — The Moon dish that brought the Apollo 11 moon walk images to the world’s TV screens is slated to become little more than a statue near Canberra, the capital of Australia in just over a week .NASA is feeling the pinch during world economic crisis and is doing the best it can under the circumstances to make sure that the dish does not get turned into scrap metal, but Echoes of Apollo Australian manager Robert Brand says that  Australia should do more. NASA has done the best it can under the circumstances, but cannot afford to keep the dish operational any longer. Even stripping it down and welding it in place as a monument will cost money, but it is all that NASA can afford during tough times. Once the gears are welded, it will never be able to be used again.

Brand said “This dish was instrumental in bringing the world TV coverage of the first moon walk and kept the astronauts in touch with mission control with both voice and data. It deserves to be kept going for as long as we can afford to do so. This action comes at a time when Australia is looking at ways to stimulate students into studying for space careers. It is expected that government money will be made available for radio astronomy including dishes with remote access for the classroom.  Why not use the Moon dish for this purpose. Yes, it will cost more, but imagine the effect on students of having access to the very same dish that was used for the Moon missions and was so important to ensuring that the crew of  Apollo 13 made it back to earth safely.

Brand suggests that sponsorship and funds from a variety of areas be used to refurbish the dish and then operate it. It should see another 40 years if kept updated. Rather than having what would be little more than a static monument, this large dish would continue to stimulate and inspire children from around the world.

Brand said “We need a stay of execution from NASA while a newly formed group looks at ways of raising funds for the restoration and upgrade. If it cannot be done, then this is the next best option, but a headlong rush into oblivion for the dish is not the way.

The antenna known today simply as DSS46 was originally at Honeysuckle Creek, part of NASA’s Deep Space network. It was moved to its current location at Tidbinbilla between 1981- and 1983 and has been in active use every since tracking spacecraft around the solar system. Although many people around the world believe that the Parkes Radio Telescope brought us the moon landings, a windstorm prevented NASA from using them for the first part of the moonwalk and the first images came from Honeysuckle Creek. The movie “The Dish” was never meant to be a documentary.

Only last month, US Manager and Founder of Echoes of Apollo Pat Barthelow suggested a group be formed to manage old and abandoned dishes around the world and use them for a variety of purposes including education. NASA’s proposed action for the Moon dish has meant that we have to move very quickly with little more than a week to gather support we have had to accelerate the program. It is called SOSS – Save Our Space-comms Systems and has over 400 members so far – for information about joining the group please join the mailing list at http://echoesofapollo.com/subscribe/ and select “SOSS” Amateur radio operators are also interested in access to the dish for major events such as World Moon Bounce Day. http://echoesofapollo.com/moon-bounce/

Contact Robert Brand for more information:

robert.brand@echoesofapollo.com (02) 9572 7246    – intl +61 2 95727246

To learn more about Echoes of Apollo, visit:  http://echoesofapollo.com/

NASA Information about the dish:

Deep Space Station DSS 46

Constructed: Originally constructed in 1965 at the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station for the Apollo missions, this antenna received the first images of Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon. In 1983 it was relocated to Tidbinbilla and modified. The X-Y configuration and small dish size allow it to move rapidly, making it ideal for tracking near-Earth spacecraft.
Axes Configuration: X-Y
Reflector Size: 26 metres
Height: 35 metres
Transmitting Bands: S band (2025–2120 MHz)
Receiving Bands: X band (8400–8500 MHz) S band (2200–2300 MHz)
Reflector Accuracy: within 1.2 mm
Pointing Accuracy: within 0.1°
Turning Rate: 5° per second but limited to 3° per second
High Wind Parameters: Stow at steady winds of 72km/h or gusts at or above 88km/h Design maximum survivable 160km/h

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Nov. 09, 2009

Daily Space News Service Launched

Sydney — Echoes of Apollo has now launched a Daily Space News journal. It is a clipping service of the latest space news. Space News stories from around the world are reviewed daily and the most informative reports are chosen to make the news clipping service.

Robert Brand, Global Events Manager says: “We have been delivering a compilation of the best space news from around the world on a daily basis for many months now to our Facebook Fans. With a following of around 1,000 and more on Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo and other sites we deliver space news to around 10,000. We are now ready to go global on a daily basis on our own website.

Echoes will also maintain an archive of news on their website for historic reference or if you miss the mail.

Brand says “It is easy to sign up on our Space News page: http://echoesofapollo.com/space-news/ We would be pleased for readers to provide feedback so that we can improve the service. This is clearly the best comprehensive source of space flight and astronomy news available”.

Sponsors are invited to contact Robert Brand for more information: robert.brand@echoesofapollo.com

To learn more about Echoes of Apollo, visit:

http://echoesofapollo.com/

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RELEASE DATE: Tuesday April 7  2009

World Moon Bounce Day

Celebrates 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing

APRIL 6, 2009, SYDNEY and APRIL 7, 2009, SAN FRANCISCO –World Moon Bounce Day is June 27, Saturday, Sydney Time (Friday, June 26, San Francisco Time), Echoes of Apollo (EOA, echoesofapollo.com), an international space education organization, in cooperation with the National Space Society (nss.org), announced today. All over the world, participants will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing by bouncing radio voice transmissions off the moon, known as “moon bounce.”

In collaboration with schools, amateur radio organizations, and cultural groups, people from around the world — especially children — will communicate with one another via the moon using more than 13 dish antennas, including the 150-ft.-diameter Stanford Research Institute radio dish in Palo Alto, California; the 70-ft. dish at Morehead State University at Space Science Center in Kentucky; the 25-meter Dwingeloo Radio Telescope dish in Dwingeloo Holland; and the 90-ft. dish of the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania.

These antennas will bounce transmissions off the moon, to be received by dish antennas in other countries. Station operators and their guests will experience the thrill of hearing their own voice or that of others talking via the moon, with a delay of about 2.5 seconds. The June 27 date is based on optimal alignment of the Moon and Earth for participating dish locations.

“World Moon Bounce Day is part of Echoes of Apollo, a four-year global party that will re-educate new generations about the Apollo missions and in particular, the Apollo 11 mission,” said Sydney-based Robert Brand, the International Events Manager for EOA. In 1969 at age 17, Brand wired up NASA communications equipment in Sydney that relayed the data from the moon via the Parkes and Honeysuckle Creek radio telescopes, including video and data from the Lunar Module and Command Module.

“Echoes will also tell the story of everyday people from around the world who were called upon to support the original moon-landing mission in 1969, particularly those in Spain, Australia, and the United States. Several staff members at the Australian Parkes Radio Telescope (featured in the award-winning movie, ‘The Dish’) even risked their lives to bring TV coverage to the world during a severe windstorm that threatened to destroy the dish above their heads.”

World’s biggest space party

Echoes of Apollo, billed as “the world’s biggest space party,” was formed in 2008 by people involved in or interested in the Apollo moon missions. It is the first stage of a four-year-long effort to re-focus attention on the moon, the Apollo missions of 40 years ago, and a possible future return to the moon. The group will further the spirit of exploration of space and the advancement of science, recognize space as a way to connect the people of Earth, and show how the knowledge of space can be used to solve the problems of the planet.

“For three months (June to August 2009), we will be celebrating space exploration around the world with an incredible diversity of events, fun, and learning in honor of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s mission to the moon,” said California-based EOA coordinator Patrick Barthelow, AA6EG. “Earth stations and amateur radio stations will bounce their ‘voices’ off the moon. There will be astronomy nights, 3D photo events, a science-fiction writing competition, and even fancy dress parties happening all over the world. This may be the last time that those involved in the original Apollo 11 mission can take part in a public celebration. It will bring people together after 40 years, and help focus attention on the future of space exploration.”

Education will be a key factor in the events. A science fiction writing contest will be supported by well-known international authors, with the best submissions published on the Internet, and Sydney Secondary College is holding a special concert of space-themed music. “As we head back to the moon and the planets, we need to train the engineers, astronauts, and scientists who will get us back to the moon, and beyond,” said Barthelow. “Echoes of Apollo will symbolically allow students to reach for the moon, and inspire them to go further. Students will also benefit from learning amateur-radio EME (earth-moon-earth) technology and space science.”

EOA gratefully acknowledges that it has received assistance from the following: “This Week in Science” (twis.org) radio show; best-selling novelist Scott Sigler (scottsigler.com); Stanford Research International’s big dish; the Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au); the Overseas Telecommunications Veterans Association (otva.com); the University of Tasmania Mt. Pleasant Radio dish; Entertainment Depot (entertainmentdepot.com.au); AltNetworks (altnet.com.au) for event management and website development; Amara D. Angelica, KF6TEJ, for editorial assistance and outreach; and Greenstar (greenstar.org) for website hosting and technical support.

Rare footage of Apollo 11 is available at echoesofapollo.com/video and photos at echoesofapollo.com/images. A review of moon-bounce (EME, Earth-Moon-Earth) communications, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EME_(communications), is available. “The Dish,” an award-winning 2000 film starring Sam Neill, is profiled at imdb.com/title/tt0205873/. For further information, please visit echoesofapollo.com.

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RELEASE : 09-001

Media Release for Immediate Release: Monday 23rd March 2009

Launching the World’s Biggest Space Party with a Global “Moon Bounce”

Subject: Worlds Biggest Space Party & Moon Bounce – Global Event
Date of Moon Bounce: Saturday, 27th June 2009
Project: Echoes of Apollo Website: www.echoesofapollo.com

You are invited to participate in the Worlds Biggest Space Party with the largest ever “Moon Bounce”.

Being held in celebration of the Apollo Space Missions, on the 40th Anniversary of Man’s Moon landing. (20th July 1969).

This Global three month long Space Party is designed to educate generations about the Apollo missions and in particular, the Apollo 11 mission. Starting June 1st 2009 and finishing around August.

World first… “Never before has there been this many large dishes pointed at the moon since the lunar landings. Signals will be literally bounced off the moon’s surface and back to other stations on earth where they are received some 2.5 seconds later”. Robert Brand, International & Australian Events Manager Echoes of Apollo.

Many of the world’s large parabolic antennas (dishes) will stop their normal space work and swing around to track the moon when it rises on the 27th June. Echoes of Apollo volunteers will use the Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) transmissions to link up with other dishes worldwide via the moon.

The sites will be manned by volunteers from amateur radio communities, helping their local youth talk to other youth from around the world via the moon.

Web video of World Moon Bounce will be available on the Echoes of Apollo website with feeds from multiple sites, to see all the action taking place.

NB. Moon bounce communications occur regularly within the amateur radio community. Public access is rare. One such Moon Bounce occurred in 2007 when children at one site in the UK read and listened to their poetry being bounced of the moon.

The Echoes of Apollo World Moon Bounce can expect a high quality of voice communications in comparison to the small 2007 event.

World’s Biggest Space Party Programmed includes events & activities:

• Children & Youth talking via the Moon
• Functions – with VIP Guests
• School/Clubs/ Space mission fans, Sci Fi associations – invited to participate in astronomy, science and music nights.
• 3D photo: shows of photos taken on the moon during the missions
• Competitions – Science Fiction writing for students supported by leading international Authors
• Music creation – moon / Apollo theme
• Video Creation – Why we should return to the moon?
• Poetry writing for students – moon / Apollo theme

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For information, media enquiries/interviews/appearances please contact:
Robert Brand
International & Australian Events Manager
Echoes of Apollo
+61 408 727 263 (within Australia: 0408 727 263)
Email: australia@echoesofapollo.com
Or
Publicist: Rene Briggs
Email: irene.briggs@entertainmentdepot.com.au
+61 3 9486 1771

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