PCsat2 ISS External Communications Payload Geneology 21 Nov 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WB4APR To help clarify how this PCsat2 project envolved to arrive at where it seems to be today, I offer the following chronolgy of events. It began as an idea for an ARISS-EXCOMM project and was presented to the ARISS team in April 2002. And in August it began its slow progression from the very bottom of the multi-year DOD process to get on the list for a possible project in the 2006/2007 and out year process... That full EXCOMM proposal is still wending its way through that long process. But in about late September, early October, a fully funded Launch Opportunity began to evolve independently of the long formal process for the ARISS EXCOMM preoposal. This spin-off idea is what has now become the fast- track PCsat2 proposal. 1998 to 2002: The planned External Comms Pallet that had long been part of the ARISS long range experiment planning was getting no where. The project with Brazil to develop the external pallet had not materialized. The project was at a stand still. 21 March 2002: Prepared "External ISS Communications Experiment" brief as a result of an Email idea from Carolynn Conley about looking for other ways to get an external experiment and possibly partnering with DOD for funding of a mutual project. 6 April 2002: Presented this EX-COMM idea to the ARISS International meeting in Montreal (via Teleconference) where, after some heated discussion, there was a consensus of the committee that the Naval Academy should continue to investigate this possiblity of a joint DOD/NASA/ARISS partnership to get an external COMMS payload on ISS. 17 April 2002: Meeting at Naval Academy with Frank Bauer, Carolynn Conley and Ron Parise to further discuss this concept. No activty for months. But then realized the annual process for presenting new projects for DOD consideration was approaching and in late August, re-did the presentation into the 4-slide format for presentation to the Navy Space Experiments Review Board (the entry gate in a once a year process for getting to present at the DOD board)... 27 Aug 2002: Presented ARISS-EXCOMM presentation to the Navy Space Experiments Review Board. The Project Title was changed to S.C.I.E.N.C.E which stands for Space Communications International Educational Network - Classroom Experience to emphasize the Educational and classroom outreach mission of ARISS to the Navy. 9 Sept 2002: The S.C.I.E.N.C.E presentation materials were accepted by the Navy as a proposal that could go forward and be presented to the full DOD board in November. 3 Sept 2002: Other presenters at the Navy SERB aware of other projects had seen our SCIENCE presentation and informed us later that they were sending up a PASSIVE experiment box for external attachment to the ISS and that there could be room inside for an Amateur Satellite Experiment. But this was an unofficial informal conversation... 13 Sept 2002: This MISSE-5/PEC team began to discuss the addition of a PCsat like transponder to their passive mission. 20 Sept 2002: Submitted S.C.I.E.N.C.E Presentation to Barry - VA3BJD the secretary for the ARISS Project Selection and Use committee for placement on the Agenda for the December ARISS meeting at NASA Goddard 2 Oct 2002: USNA invited to participate in a TELCON with PEC-MISSE-5 team to discuss possibility of flying PCsat2 payload on MISSE-5. 8 Oct 2002: Results from the TELCON appeared favorable and so I emailed a full discription of the PEC-MISSE-5/PCsat2 concept to the USA ARISS delegation and initiated a PCsat2 WEB page to disclose all concept details as they began to develop. 18 Oct 2002: Navy Research Labs PEC-MISSE5 project team visits Naval Academy to determine if we are committed to the project. 23 Oct 2002: Prelimnary PEC-MISSE-5 TELCON with JSC Safety folks regarding hurdles due to changing PEC/MISSE-5 from passive to active experiment. 25 Oct 2002: Frank Bauer responds with ARISS questions about the project. 31 Oct 2002: PEC-MISSE5 has teleconference Technical Interchange Meeting with JSC NASA Safety Review Panel on the concepts to be used for EVA safety during the deployment of the PEC experiment hardware. 6 Nov 2002: SCIENCE Project is presented to the DOD Space Experiments Review Board for consideration for project funding in the outyears 2006/2007 time frame.. This project is now independent and separate from PE-MISSE5 and on such a long term path as to be out of our present field of view. As of 22 Nov, no results from this presentation have been published. 8 Nov 2002: IARU Frequency Coordination Request for PCsat2 is submitted to IARU through the AMSAT-NA point of contact and simultaneously to the USA ARISS Delegation. 22 Nov 2002: Today's date----------------------------------------------- 26 Nov 2002: PCsat2/PEC-MISSE5 Preliminary Design Review Meeting is scheduled at Naval Research Labs for 10 AM. Early DEC: Next planned Meeting of the ARISS Project Selection and Use Committee to meet at NASA Goddard, date and time TBD...