Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report
November 13, 2012
1. Upcoming School Contacts
Gujarat Science City (GSC), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, November 14 at 10:18 UTC via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. GSC has a Hall of Space pavilion with high-tech exhibitions covering space exploration and communications. The exhibits include a simulated journey through space, animatronics with sound-synchronized pneumatic robots, computer-controlled multi-screen panoramic projections, precision interactive exhibits on experiments planned by NASA, the International Space Station and touchscreen computer multimedia programs. The ARISS contact will be part of a special outreach program that has been organized to provide students with many hands-on activities related to the ISS. The displays and activities provide children with the motivation and inspiration for a career and future in space science and research.
Flagler Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club (FPCARC) in Palm Coast, Florida will participate in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, November 16 at 18:06 UTC. The club's youth program, the Amateur Radio Cadets, introduces ham radio to students and prepares them for their FCC license exams. It provides students with in-depth classes in related subjects such as math, science, geography, basic electricity, and electronics. For the ARISS contact, FPCARC is collaborating with students from an area middle school and has invited other schools to the event.
2. Successful ARISS Contacts Held
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held with Istituto Comprensivo di Govone, Scuola Secondaria di primo grado "Nino Costa" di Priocca and Istituto Comprensivo di Diano d'Alba in Priocca, Italy on Thursday, November 8. Nearly 200 students attended the event held at Planerio in Torino and listened as Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI answered questions about science experiments and daily activities on the ISS. The contact was tied into lessons on astronomy, space science and exploration. It received good media coverage and was Web cast by AMSAT Italia.
On Friday, November 9, students from 1 Circolo Didattico G.Marconi in Casamassima di Bari, Italy experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact, speaking with Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI on the ISS. The event was held at the Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza and approximately 250 students attended. Hoshide fielded 20 questions posed to him by the youth. The contact was part of the primary school's comprehensive STEM curriculum.
3. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISS
The November 9 Amateur Radio Newsline report #1839 included an item about the upcoming ARISS contact with students in Gujarat, India on November 14.The article, "Ham Radio in Space: First Time Ever India to ISS Student Contact" may be viewed at: http://www.arnewsline.org/storage/scripts/nsln1839.txt