1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
RESEARCH ON USE OF RADIO AMATEUR SATELLITES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
| Project/Area Number |
09680201
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Science education
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| Research Institution | NARA NATIONAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY |
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Principal Investigator |
ASAI Fumio NARA NATIONAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY,INFORMATION ENGINEERlNG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, 情報工学科, 助教授 (00212465)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1998
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| Keywords | SCIENCE EDUCATION / PHYSICS EDUCATION / ENGINEERlNG EDUCATION / AMATEUR SATELLITE / ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE / LAW OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITY / DOPPLER EFFECT / KEPLER'S LAW |
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| Research Abstract |
There are currently over a dozen artificial satellites called amateur satellites in orbit. These satellites provide unique opportunities for science and engineering education. I investigated possible educational programs using amateur satellites for K-12 graduate students to study physics, radio communication, spacecraft technology and space environment, I proposed the following original teaching materials and confirmed their remarkable educational effectiveness.
(1) Doppler effect and spacecraft velocity
Amateur satellites are suitable for demonstration and observation of the Doppler effect. Radio beacon waves transmitted from amateur satellites exhibit considerable Doppler shift which is proportional to relative satellite/observer velocity. Doppler shift measurements for circular orbiting amateur satellites yield the magnitude of relative velocity which is in good agreement with theoretical prediction.
(2) Kepler's law and spacecraft motion
Another educational use of radio beacon waves is to demonstrate that spacecraft orbiting around the Earth are subject to Kepler's law. Measurement of the visible time for a high-elevation pass by hearing the beacon yields a reasonable orbital period which is elementary derived from a theoretical calculation.
(3) Equipments for receiving telemetry and whole orbit data
Most of amateur satellites broadcast telemetry and various data such as whole orbit data. I designed a simple and inexpensive equipment for receiving these data. Students are able to directly receive and display real time telemetry by using this equipment linked to their personal computers. I developed a new type of demodulator in order to capture, decode and store UoSAT-2 whole orbit data. By analyzing telemetry and whole orbit data stored in PC, students are able to have much understanding of spacecraft status such as solar battery's performance and of space environment such as Earth's magnetic field.
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