Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 1, 2010
1. Upcoming School Contact
S.K. Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 2 at 18:05 UTC. The contact will be made from the National Planetarium satellite ground station in conjunction with the "Prime Minister's - National Space Challenge Trophy 2010" event. The planetarium teaches space science and has an exclusive section displaying a mockup of the ISS as well as a rocket engine. Space participant Sheikh Muszaphar is frequently invited to schools to give talks to the students, encouraging them to study space science.
2. Successful ARISS Contact with Funakata Elementary
On Friday, October 29, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students from Funakata Elementary School in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan and astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB on the International Space Station (ISS). The youth were able to get in 16 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Approximately seventy students, guests and media were present.
3. Astronaut Training Status
Astronauts Joe Acaba, KE5DAR and Aki Hoshide, KE5DNI participated in simulated ARISS school contacts with students attending Ralph McCall School in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada on Tuesday, October 26. The training sessions were terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS equivalent equipment.
Acaba, who is slated to fly with Expedition 31, also had an ARISS refresher course on Wednesday, October 27 for his upcoming mission in 2012.
4. AMSAT News on ARISS Events
AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) ran three items in its October 31 ANS (AMSAT News Service) bulletin. A status on ARISSat is given in the entry, "ARISSat-1 Passes NASA Safety Review - Ready For Trip to Russia." The story, "Second Amateur Radio Station to be Activated on ISS" talks about the Ericssons onboard the ISS which will be installed in the Columbus module early next year, and the third item, "ARISS Contact With George Observatory Successful" covers a recent contact held with Texan Scouts. For all stories, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2010/000457.html
"Second Amateur Radio Station to be Activated on ISS" may also be found on the front page of the AMSAT Web site: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php
5. ARRL Article Gives Overview of ARISSat-1
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted an article on its Web site covering ARISSat-1. The story describes the enhancements made to this satellite and contrasts its capabilities with those of SuitSat-1. The story also appeared in the ARRL Letter on October 28. "ARISSat-1 "Suits Up" for February 2011 Launch" may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-suits-up-for-february-2011-launch