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The Technion satellite, which was supposed to function for a few months, celebrates 5 years in space (update)

  "Texat-2" was launched on July 10, 1998 and has so far transmitted data to six experiments, including the first experiment in the world that tested superconductors in space

 The Technion satellite
 
 The Taxat-2 satellite was built after its predecessor crashed during launch

Although it was predicted to have a lifespan of several months: the Technion satellite "celebrates" five years in space

Although it was predicted to have a lifespan of several months, last week the Technion satellite "celebrated" five years in space. Professor Moshe Gelman, head of the "Asher" Institute for Space Research, said that the satellite, "Gorvin Text 2", is one of the smallest in the world, built like a cube, each side of which is 45 centimeters long and weighs 48 kilograms. "Over the past five years, the satellite has circled the Earth more than 28 times," he emphasized. "He carried out all six experiments that were planned very successfully, with results that in some cases constituted a world precedent".
The control system, the camera and the radiation experiments continue to function in the satellite as they have functioned since its first day in space. The solar panel system still provides today about 90% of its initial energy. The satellite also provides, in part, a service to radio enthusiasts who have allocated its transmission and reception frequencies.
The Technion satellite cruises in a circular orbit at an altitude of 820 kilometers and has descended only three kilometers over the past five years, evidence of the existence of a thin atmosphere at this altitude. "This rate of decline will ensure that the Technion satellite will cruise in space for hundreds of years, a reminder of the Technion's work for future generations," said Professor Gelman.
The Technion satellite began as a student project of the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space at the Technion, under the direction of Professor Haim Ashad and at the initiative of Professor Giura Shabiv, then head of the Space Research Institute.

Aryeh Seter adds that the Garvin Texat 2 satellite was built in cooperation with the Radio Amateurs Association in Israel, as it operates on UHF, VHF and microwave frequencies of radio amateurs. The satellite is also used for data communication of radio amateurs all over the world.

Yuval Dror, writes in Haaretz (10/7/2003) that today the Technion celebrates five years since the launch of the Technion satellite, "Gorwin-Texat-2" (Tech-sat 2), one of the four Israeli satellites in space. But the Technion did not plan for the satellite to reach such an "extreme" age: the academic satellite was supposed to stop functioning normally a few months after its launch. "He still surprises us. Five years after it was launched, it still responds to commands from the ground and continues to send pictures," says Prof. Moshe Gelman, head of the Space Research Institute at the Technion.

The initiative to send an Israeli academic satellite was pushed in the late 80s by Prof. Haim Ashad, who is responsible for Israeli space activities at the Ministry of Defense and is considered one of the founders of the Space Research Institute at the Technion. Indeed, at the beginning of 1991, the construction of the satellite began by students from the Technion in cooperation with the Aerospace Industry. The cost of the satellite was estimated at 3.5 million dollars. The Ministry of Absorption supported the project and the New York businessman Joseph Gorvin - after whom the satellite is named - donated his money; The Ministry of Science also financed part of the project.

Four years later, the construction of the satellite was finished, and in March 1995 it was sent to the launch area near Pletsk, 900 km north of Moscow. On March 28, "Tech-Sat" was launched, but minutes after the launch, a malfunction occurred and the rocket carrying the satellite found itself - with the satellite - deep in the sea. The Technion did not give up and built another satellite, "Taxat-2," which was launched on July 10, 1998, this time with success.

The Technion's satellite weighs 48 kg and orbits the Earth at an altitude of 820 km. Its shape is like a cube and its size is about 50 cm by 50 cm. Five wings of the satellite are coated with solar surfaces, which provide it with energy. The sixth wig is directed to Earth and contains a camera and additional equipment. Taxat-2 orbits the Earth 16 times a day; Next Thursday, he will celebrate his 29,216th lap.

Taxat is intended for scientific uses, and has so far transmitted data to six trials. For example, a simple radiation detector was installed on it that was used to check the state of the ozone layer. The detector tested the level of ultraviolet radiation reflected from the ozone layer: the more radiation emitted - the larger the layer.

"The goal was to prove that it is possible to carry out scientific tests in space with simple and cheap means," said Prof. Gelman. Another experiment tested the function of electrical circuits
And a third experiment dealt with the question of whether superconductors change after a period in space. Gelman
points out that to this day this experiment is cited in the world as the first test experiment
superconductors in space, who found that these materials do not lose their properties.

The camera was integrated into the satellite to make sure the ground station recognized his exact location.
"The satellite sends us images and thus we are sure that its movement control is working
OK," Gelman said. But according to him, no one thought that five years after his departure
The satellite will continue to take pictures - and in general to function properly. According to Gelman,
One of the explanations for this is the rigorous tests that were done for three months on
The ground, before its launch: "Many dozens of students were educated on the satellite's knees
this. For seven years, students of the Technion built the two satellites."

Today, the satellite is operated by one of the Technion's employees, who receives the information from space
to his personal computer via the Internet. "I think he became attached to him," Gelman said
referring to the satellite operator. "I don't know what he will do when Taxat-2 stops
from functioning", he added with a smile.

Tech-Sat

* 2 Launch: July 10, 1998

* Weight: 48 kg

* Size: 50 X 50 cm

* Cruising altitude: 820 km

* Laps per day: 16

* Cost: 8 million dollars

* Purpose: experiments

* Used in 6 experiments
 
 

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