Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report
June 4, 2012
1. Upcoming School Contact
Kawatinagano Higashi Junior High School in Kawatinagano, Osaka, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, June 6 at 11:18 UTC. The contact will supplement lessons about the ISS and its mission.
2. Australian Contact Successful
On Friday, June 1, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between on-orbit astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT and St. Mary's Catholic Primary School in Hay, NSW, Australia via telebridge station VK6MJ. Approximately 200 students and guests were in attendance. Students were well prepared for the radio connection and had been learning about space, the Space Station and astronauts. Drawings, pictures and written articles created by the youth were on display at the school. Students had all their questions answered and gave a big "Thank you" to Pettit before the ISS went over the horizon.
3. Burbank Debrief Held
On Wednesday, May 30, ARISS team members participated in an ISS Ham debrief session with Expedition 29/30 crew member Dan Burbank. The astronaut provided feedback on the ISS Ham radio equipment and ARISS school contacts. His feedback will aid the ARISS team in keeping its program and procedures up-to-date.
4. ARISS in ARRL QST
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) had a few items about ARISS in its June QST. The "Media Hits" column included:
--mention of the PR hit in Patch.com titled, "Parkside Elementary To International Space Station, Over" regarding Parkside Elementary's contact with the ISS
--mention of the PR hit in the Southwest News-Herald titled, "Liberty Junior Makes Space Station Contact" regarding Liberty Jr. High's contact with the ISS
5. AMSAT News Service on ARISS
On June 3, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-155) ran an article titled, "STEM Education Identified as Critical for Continued Rides to Space." The item covers AMSAT's education goals and lists its needs for support. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000624.html