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aboutPANSAT OSCAR (PO-34)
The Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT) is a small satellite designed and built by officer
students, faculty, and staff at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The main objective is to
support the Space Systems Engineering and Space Systems Operations Curricula by providing a
"hands-on" hardware project where exposure to the many facets of a space system development and
life cycle can be experienced. The spacecraft itself provides digital, spread spectrum
communications using the amateur radio 70 cm band. PANSAT further provides educational training
while in orbit through a space-based laboratory for officer students at NPS.
The amateur user will be able to work PANSAT's bulletin board system in a 9842 bps, simplex,
direct sequence spread spectrum mode. Unlike some other amateur radio satellites, PANSAT does not
have a beacon mode, and it does not have a 2 meter channel. This makes the system rather complex
in that the same 436.5 MHz frequency is used for both the uplink and downlink.
Through use by the amateur radio community PANSAT will supply a means to demonstrate
spread-spectrum communications. In addition, PANSAT provides many potential applications for
low-cost communications. The low probability-of-intercept would be an important feature for the
military in downed-pilot-rescues. The pilot could obtain his/her location through a GPS system and
uplink the information to the orbiting satellite at low risk. Examples of civilian uses include
emergency rescue and communication to remote areas.
Orbital Parameter
Name PO-34 NORAD # 25520 COSPAR Bezeichnung 1998-064-B Inklination (Grad) 28.456 RAAN 122.695 Excentrizität 0.0005586 ARGP 172.516 Umläufe pro Tag 15.16351514 Periode 1h 34m 57s (94.95 Min) Semi-major axis 6895 km Perigäum x Apogäum 513 x 521 km Bstar (drag Faktor) 0.000049892 1/ER Mean Anomaly 187.551
