RSID: <<2026-01-02T00:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
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Welcome to program 431 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:42 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:53 MFSK32: Ball bearings for studying physics in microgravity
  6:12 MFSK64: Rethinking how we end a satellite's mission
10:15 MFSK64: This week's images
27:34 MFSK32: Closing announcements
 

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And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on Bluesky now: SWRadiogram.bsky.social

And X/Twitter: @SWRadiogram
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From NASA:

Ball bearings as tools for studying physics in microgravity

by Monika Luabeya
December 30, 2025

In this Oct. 20, 2025, photo, tiny ball bearings surround a
larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment,
conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard
the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.

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A bulk container installed in the MSG, filled with viscous fluid
and embedded particles, is subjected to oscillating frequencies
to observe how the particles cluster and form larger structures
in microgravity. Insights from this research may advance fire
suppression, lunar dust mitigation, and plant growth in space. On
Earth, the findings could inform our understanding of pollen
dispersion, algae blooms, plastic pollution, and sea salt
transport during storms.

In addition to uncovering potential benefits on Earth, research
done aboard the space station helps inform long-duration missions
like Artemis and future human expeditions to Mars.

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-image-ball-tools-physics-microgravity.html


Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...

 

RSID: <<2026-01-02T00:36Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

From Phys.org:

Rethinking how we end a satellite's mission

by Andy Tomaswick, Universe Today
December 29, 2025

At the end of their lives, most satellites fall to their death.
Many of the smaller ones, including most of those going up as
part of the "mega-constellations" currently under construction,
are intended to burn up in the atmosphere. This Design for Demise
(D4D) principle has unintended consequences, according to a paper
published in Acta Astronautica by Antoinette Ott and Christophe
Bonnal, both of whom work for MaiaSpace, a company designing
reusable launch vehicles for the small satellite market.

Simply put, those unintended consequences could go so far as to
create another hole in the ozone layer. There are two main
chemicals that are concerning when it comes to that possibility:
nitrogen oxides (NOx) and alumina.

NOx is known to deplete the ozone—it's part of the reason why we
have systems on diesel engines to remove it before it's released
into the atmosphere. However, satellites don't create NOx in a
nice, controlled combustion chamber—they do it when the
shockwaves from their reentry force the nitrogen and oxygen to
combine.

This process, known as the Zeldovich mechanism, is equivalent to
"cooking the air" with the energy released from the satellites
falling into the atmosphere. Estimates suggest as much as 40% of
the energy from a spacecraft's mass is effectively converted into
NOx during reentry.

Alumina, on the other hand, comes from the spacecraft itself.
Many spacecraft designers use aluminum as an intentional design
choice, with the idea that its relatively low melting point will
allow it to more easily burn up in the atmosphere. While that is
true, when it does burn up, it creates alumina, a type of
aluminum oxide that accumulates in the stratosphere about 20 km
up. Alumina particles at that level actually have a cooling
effect on the lower atmosphere, but a warming effect on the
upper, causing havoc with weather patterns. Perhaps more
importantly, though, they can act as a reaction surface for
activating chlorine, which is a common killer of ozone.

Some amount of alumina that high in the atmosphere is
natural—mainly coming from meteors as they "demise" themselves.
However, models predict that there could be a 650% increase in
alumina in the upper atmosphere over the coming decades, with
unknown consequences both for the climate and the ozone itself.
There's already evidence of an increase, with data from NOAA's
SABRE mission indicating that 10% of sulfuric acid particles in
the stratosphere already contain alumina.

So what's the alternative to our satellites destroying
themselves? Engineers could design them to intentionally stay
together through the deorbiting process—a design philosophy known
as Design for Non-Demise (D4ND). There are obvious risks to this
as well—the most obvious one being what happens if parts of a
satellite actually hit something valuable on the ground.

That's becoming increasingly common. SpaceX and the Federal
Aviation Administration have been having a lively discussion
about how effective their D4D actually is, given the increasing
amount of evidence that some parts of some satellites seem to
survive intact to the ground. There are international standards
in place already, such as ISO 27875, which limits the chances of
a deorbiting object causing a casualty on the ground to 1 in
10,000. The problem is, Starlink alone will eventually have
upwards of 40,000 satellites, with more being replenished all the
time. At those numbers, the 1 in 10,000 chances begin to look a
little too high for the public's comfort.

So what about controlled reentry? We could make sure all
satellites deorbit somewhere in the Pacific with no risk to any
built infrastructure or people. That is already required by many
regulators, but it comes with increased costs. The satellites
themselves might have to be heavier to ensure they survive
reentry. They will also have to carry extra fuel to ensure they
can maneuver themselves to a safe point for that reentry. All
that extra weight translates directly into extra cost, though,
given the increasing availability of lower-cost launch options,
that might be a trade-off we're willing to make.

In an interview with UT, Ott mentioned there is no clear "right"
answer to this problem. Weighing risks between D4D and D4ND,
which include calculations about both the environmental impact
and the risk to civilians on the ground, should be an integral
part of any future orbiting satellite design. She also mentioned
that there's ongoing work to formalize the models that could
quantify the risk for each design decision, and that there might
be alternatives, such as a Design for Containment philosophy that
could help limit the negative impacts of either other choice.

While these mega-constellations continue to grow apace, satellite
designers need to be conscious of how their choices of materials
and deorbiting plans affect not just the people on the ground,
but also the atmosphere as a whole. As we move into a world with
LEO-enabled infrastructure, we need to balance all of the
considerations of how to maintain it without damaging the world
it's designed to improve.

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rethinking-satellite-mission.html
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

This week's images ...
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A polar bear in front of an abandoned research station on
Koluchin Island, Russia, September 14, 2025. tinyurl.com/283x8cr9
...

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The "Champagne Cluster," actually two galaxy clusters in the
process of merging, captured by the NASA Chandra X-ray
Observatory and optical telescopes. tinyurl.com/2bus4x9h ...

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View of the Washington Monument from the US Capitol Christmas
Tree, late December. tinyurl.com/27dxlbtz ...

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Contrails in the sunset, Washington DC area, December 20.
tinyurl.com/2c2zdpaj ...

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A late-December Long-tailed Rosefinch in Japan.
tinyurl.com/2bp9yryp ...

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A gentlemen's club in Detroit. tinyurl.com/28stzrxl ...

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The Museum Eliel in North Karelia, Finland. tinyurl.com/2adgfen8
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A holiday illumination at the Morton Arboretum near Chicago.
tinyurl.com/29jtxunl ...

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Sunset in Washington DC, with the National Cathedral, December
20. tinyurl.com/22ywpyv7 ...

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Our painting of the week is "Swiss Alpine Window" by Daisy
Sims-Hilditch (British, b. 1991). tinyurl.com/296u5e6t ...

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...



RSID: <<2026-01-02T00:57Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>


This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...


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I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.
 

RSID: <<2026-01-02T00:59Z THOR-22 @ 9265000+1500>>

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026 FROM SHORTWAVE RADIOGRAM!

 

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RSID: <<2026-01-02T11:30Z MFSK-64 @ 15770000+1500>>

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Sir George Martin was born on January 3, 1926.
He died in 2016.

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  H A P P Y

    N E W

  Y E A R !

https://camanagement.co.uk/roster/sir-george-martin-cbe/

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