Welcome to the new semester!

1996 ushers in a year full of excitement for SEDS and The U of A in general. Our projects this year are becoming more diverse, and speakers from afar will be coming in. From HAM radio satellite communication, rockets, astronomy, to (of course) the internet, UASEDS will endeavor to do a piece of everything. And as always, we are open to any new avenues previously unvisited.

With one flight under our belt with our new high-powered rocket, we will be able to improve some of our original designs and have a flight over Spring Break, and over the summer. Testing of the launch systems will be needed, but all areas have very positive outlooks. Casting composite and hybrid rocket motors will begin to take shape at The U of A's Hybrid Rocket Lab on campus, enabling a ten-fold increase in our launch capabilities.

The SEDSat groundstation here is coming smoothly along. So far we have several members well on their way to getting their technician's license for HAM radio. The hardware needed (short one Transceiver) is up and operational. Data contact has already been made with the MIR spacestation. The next major steps are to plan software development for the SEDSat groundstations. People with HAM skills and computer skills will be needed to man the new groundstation.

Once again, a major push towards constructing a club telescope has started. My goal is to have in place the major components necessary for construction by the end of April. Numerous options lay open in this area, and include electronics for tracking devices, optics, astronomy, and just people to help "nail the thing together". Several star parties are usually made a semester in this area as well.

The computer resources of SEDS are growing at an extraordinary rate these last few years. With a SparcStation 10, 3 486 machines, a 386 BBS, and several other terminals in the office, we are just busting out with MIPS. System administrators are in need to help run our world recommend World Wide Web site, our PC UNIX servers, the Ascending Node BBS, and even over in the "HAM shack" with the SEDSat project. These skills and experience can definitely give you an edge above your classmates (unless they are in SEDS also)!

There are many other projects as well that UASEDS just needs some helping hands to nurture. Please contact us any way you can if you are interested in anything you see in our newsletter. Heck, we could always use help writing the newsletter! See you soon.

Tim Van Devender - UASEDS President