Plans remain in place to launch a functioning mini-Sputnik from Mir October 4--the 40th anniversary of the launching of Sputik 1 by the USSR. Sputnik 1 was the first manmade satellite put into orbit around Earth.

Earlier this year, an agreement was signed between Russia and France to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, and two groups of high school students cooperated in building the one-third scale model of the original Sputnik 1. Students in Russia built the satellite itself, while students in France built the 2-meter transmitter that will ''beep'' from space following its launch from Mir. The mini-satellite flew as cargo to Mir last month aboard a Progress rocket. According to Miles Mann, WF1F, of MIREX, the Mir crew will place the satellite in an airlock on Mir and push it out the door on October 4.

Following launch, the scale model of Sputnik will remain close to the Russian space station. It's estimated that its batteries will hold up for up to two months.

The transmitter will put between 100 and 200 mW into a circularly polarized antenna. The transmitter frequency is expected to be between 145.81 and 145.85 MHz (FM). The audio tone will be at 1.3 kHz but vary with temperature. For more information, see http://www.oceanes.fr/~fr5fc/angspoutnik.html.

Note from Ham Radio Online - The images for this story were downloaded from the NASA web site over a 400 kbps digital satellite link. I edited this story while listening to classical music streaming down from the DISH Network digital TV/audio satellite system. Satellite communications has come a long way from those wispy beeps of 40 years ago! .. de KF7VY