16:05 UTC AggieSat-2 heard ? – shorts periodic bursts (every 20 seconds) at fc= 436.245 MHz
listen to the audio file 12:34:50 UTC DRAGONSAT successfully deployed from the cargo bay
AggieSat2 is one of two picosatellites developed for LONESTAR 1, and its mission is to test a unique dual-GPS system (dubbed DRAGON) engineered by the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division (AFMD). AggieSat2 and PARADIGM (BEVO-1), a similar satellite from the University of Texas, are known as the DRAGONSAT payload, which will fly aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-127.
AggieSat2 will serve as a bus for the NASA-provided DRAGON GPS unit. After deployment from the Space Shuttle Picosat Launcher (SSPL) mounted in the Space Shuttle Orbiter’s cargo bay, AggieSat2 will separate from PARADIGM via spring loaded antennas and ready itself to begin data collection. In the weeks following deployment, AggieSat2 will independently record and downlink 180 minutes of raw GPS data as commanded by the mission control team.
BEVO1 has been pre-programmed to follow a specific set of instructions after deployment. If the battery voltage is too low, BEVO1 will charge to the required level with no radio communications. When BEVO1 first boots up, BEVO1 will be in beacon mode for three days in order to allow for attitude stabilization before conducting the GPS experiment. While the GPS experiment is in progress, there will be no radio communications in order to maximize battery life, which will last about one day. When the GPS experiment is finished, BEVO1 should have determined its orbit and switch to data mode when visible over Austin, TX or Rochester, MN. A necessary (but not sufficient) condition for success of the GPS experiment is if BEVO1’s clock was set correctly, which can be noted in the beacon message.
DRAGONSAT 1 99998U 09211.52303181 .00142300 00000-0 77606-3 0 00003 2 99998 051.6421 084.3173 0006451 030.6533 304.0318 15.79145351000176