AMSAT Vice-President for Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will be the banquet speaker October 17 at the AMSAT Space Symposium in Dayton, Ohio. His topic will be, “Making a Difference: AMSAT’s Contribution to Navigation and Timing in HEO/GEO Space and its Profound Impact on Earth and Space Science.” Bauer also serves as the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) international chairman.

In the mid-1990s, Bauer proposed a GPS reception experiment on the AMSAT Phase 3D satellite (AO-40). The experiment was to measure the signal strength of the GPS satellite constellation while Phase 3D was in high-Earth orbit (HEO). The AO-40 experiment subsequently has been cited often in aerospace literature, as it remained the most comprehensive above-the-constellation data source for nearly a decade and led to changes in the system’s specifications and applications.

The results of the AO-40 experiment jump started a game-changing transformation in navigation at HEO/GEO altitudes, enabling new and exciting missions in these orbits.

Bauer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University. His career in aerospace spans 4 decades within NASA and in private industry. Bauer currently heads FBauer Aerospace Consulting Services.

Bauer has been licensed since 1974. In 1983, in preparation for the space mission of Owen Garriott, W5LFL, he was responsible for setting up and operating the worldwide retransmission of Space Shuttle air-to-ground communications from Goddard Amateur Radio Club station WA3NAN. This initiative provided a critical conduit of information to hams attempting to contact astronaut-hams in the pre-Internet era

In his current role as ARISS-International chairman, Bauer has led the ARISS international team in the development, qualification, testing, and operation of the Amateur Radio systems onboard the International Space Station. ARISS pioneered the use of ham radio on the ISS to serve the Amateur Radio community through educational outreach, public outreach, and experimentation.

The 2015 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held Friday through Sunday, October 16-18, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service