Ham radio operators will be able to collect data transmitted by a satellite instrument payload scheduled for launch in December.

The radio buffs will "give us a backup of people getting data for us," says Fred Berry, NASA's project manager for the Plasma Experiment Satellite Test (PEST), which will collect data about auroras and particle streams in the upper atmosphere.

Moreover, says Berry, the radio enthusiasts will find the project interesting, because the atmospheric phenomena under study tend to interfere with radio communications. NASA will announce instructions for radio users to send their data for use by the PEST team.