Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 4, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Flemish Space Days, organized by the Flemish Space Industry (VRI), will be held May 8 - 10 in the Brabanthal in Leuven, Belgium. Interactive booths, educational workshops and movies on space, avionics and astronomy are some of the activities that will attract schools, youth and the public to this three-day event. On May 8, the event will be open to school children, ages 3-18, only. A special program has been developed with the cooperation of ESA and ESERO (European Space Education Resource Office) for teachers and students. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for this event on Sunday, May 10 at 10:51 UTC. Telebridge station W6SRJ in California will facilitate the contact.

JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA will participate in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Besyo Elementary School in Saitama, Japan on Monday, May 11 at 11:01 UTC. Wakata is an alumnus of the school. The conversation will be in Japanese.

2. Space Day Contact with National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. participated in Space Day on May 2. Visitors participated in hands-on activities, met astronauts and learned about space from experts and museum displays. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held in conjunction with these activities through telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Astronaut Ricky Arnold II was present to answer questions prior to the contact and for photo opportunities. The contact was recorded by the museum in high definition for future use. The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) members manned an exhibition booth and distributed AMSAT, ARRL and NASA education material including 2009 Space Station calendars. Approximately 20,000 people attended the museum throughout the day.

3. Astronaut Training Status

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team provided training on its amateur radio equipment to NASA astronauts Nicole Stott, KE5GJN and Catherine Coleman, KC5ZTH. Energia has posted a photo report on the training. See: http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss20/photo_04-23.html

4. ARRL Article on Dayton Hamvention Events

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted an article on its upcoming convention at the Dayton Hamvention to be held over the May 15-17 weekend. Richard Garriott will be available to meet and greet attendees and will give a talk about his amateur radio activities onboard the ISS. "The 2009 ARRL National Convention and Dayton Hamvention: Two Weeks and Counting!" may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/04/30/10793/?nc=1

5. JSC Education Office Meeting Held

The NASA Education Office hosted a meeting with the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team at Johnson Space Center over May 1-2. Program initiatives and educational outreach were addressed.