Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Aug 07 2020 09:03:42 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2232 for Friday, August 7, 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2232, with a release date of Friday, August 7, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams respond to a tornado in New England. U.S. astronauts have a historic splashdown -- and in Australia, a supercapacitor bears fruit. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2232, comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** SILENT KEY: NEWSLINE'S BOBBY BEST WX4ALA NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast on a somber note. Newsline has lost one of its own. Bobby Best, WX4ALA, who was the backbone of our weather and storm coverage for years, has become a Silent Key. He died in his sleep on Sunday, August 2nd, at the age of 49. In addition to his contributions as Newsline's staff meteorologist, Bobby enjoyed a three-decade-long career as a professional broadcaster in his home state of Alabama. He became part of the Newsline family in 2015 as a reporter, and quickly carved out a niche for himself with his specialty as a storm-chaser. His ham radio career found him active in both SKYWARN and ARES, as he pursued his passion to report weather under challenging circumstances. His call sign WX4ALA stood for "Weather for Alabama" and reflected his responsibility to his calling. We here at Newsline will miss Bobby's enthusiasm, his talents, and most of all, his friendship. Rest in peace, friend. ** U.S. ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH NEIL/ANCHOR: The historic flight by two U.S. astronauts, one of them an amateur radio operator, has come to an end. Let's hear more from Skeeter Nash, N5ASH. SKEETER: Two months ago, they made history, and on Sunday, August 2nd, they made a splash. NASA's Doug Hurley, and Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, the first astonauts to fly a SpaceX Dragon commercial spacecraft, returned to Earth from the International Space Station, finishing their mission with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola on the coast of Florida. The mission will be remembered for its notable firsts: The splashdown, the first for a manned capsule after a break of 45 years, also marked the first use of the Gulf as a landing site for a U.S. space crew. Bob and Doug had already achieved notoriety for being the first crew on a privately owned commercial spaceflight. The May 30 launch from Kennedy Space Center was also the first for American astronauts since the Shuttle's retirement in 2011. There is still one more "first" yet to happen - and this one is a family first: Bob's astronaut wife, Megan McArthur, has been chosen to be the pilot of the same SpaceX Dragon next spring. Three amateur radio operators will be on board with her. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH. (WASHINGTON POST, NASA) ** U.S. HAMS ACTIVATE FOR HURRICANE, TORNADO NEIL/ANCHOR: Just days before the VoIP Hurricane Net and the WX4NHC net activated in anticipation of the Atlantic storm Isaias, amateur radio operators in the northeastern United States were credited with playing critical roles when a tornado touched down in western Massachusetts, on August 2nd. The National Weather Service put out a statement thanking the amateurs for their assistance in identifying areas of greatest damage in an area that is not densely populated, and for making use of a drone to gather video footage. According to the weather service, the maximum wind speed was 80 miles an hour. The tornado covered a path of nearly 8 miles, damaging homes and trees, and taking down power wires. No injuries or fatalities were reported. (NWS, LLOYD COLSTON KC5FM) ** PLANE CALLED A 'GAME-CHANGER' FOR SATELLITE LAUNCHES NEIL/ANCHOR: Things might change very soon for the way small satellites are launched. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us why. JIM: Creators of small satellites such as CubeSats, and other amateur radio satellites have their eyes on the latest iteration of a small suborbital space plane known as the Dawn MK-II Aurora. It is the vision of Dawn Aerospace, which operates in the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Dawn describes the plane as a potential game-changer for the smallest of the small satellites, and touts its ability to carry payloads between 110 and 220 pounds, all the way to orbit. Smaller than a compact car, it can make several flights a day, using conventional airport runways anywhere in the world, eliminating the need for vertical launches. According to the Dawn Aerospace website, the plane's first launch is to take place from the South Island of New Zealand, and it will fly to an altitude of more than 100 km, or 62 miles. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF. (DAWN, TECHCRUNCH) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .