Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report

June 25, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the Virginia Air and Space Center located in Hampton, Virginia on Tuesday, June 26 at 18:22 UTC. The contact is part of a comprehensive education plan which will pique students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

The 2012 STEM Summit in Dallas, Texas has been slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, June 28 at 18:11 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. Leland Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education, and Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator, are expected to be in attendance. NASA’s Third Rock Radio plans to air the contact audio. http://www.rfcmedia.com/thirdrockradio/

2. Canada Scouts Contact Successful

On Saturday, June 23, Scouts Canada, Nova Scotia Council in Dartmouth, Canada called on-orbit astronaut André Kuipers, PI9ISS during an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact via telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. The contact was held as part of a space event with Scouts of various ages in conjunction with groups earning their Science Badge awards. Over 150 were in attendance. The contact was Webcast and the presentation was captured for retransmission by Aliant IPTV Atlantic during July/August and for development of an edited CD for distribution to interested parties. There was excellent media coverage including 3 television stations and two newspapers. A 20 minute radio interview was held with "the Rick Howe Show" on Friday, June 22 on Amateur Radio - ARISS and Field Day Operations. In addition, an article is being prepared for periodicals: Royal Astronomical Society, Halifax Public Libraries, Radio Amateurs of Canada.

3. ARISS International Team Meeting Held

The ARISS-International monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, June 19. Discussion topics included a Columbus Module status. Minutes have been posted:

http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2012-06-19.htm

4. AMSAT News Service on ARISS

AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-176) ran two ARISS-related articles on June 24. “Video Posted From ARISS Contact with 8N3KN in Japan” provides a link to view the recent contact held with Kawachinagano Eastside Junior High School students. The second item, “ARISS Contact Planned as NASA Hosts Future Female Explorers” talks about the upcoming contact planned with the Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars project (WISH). For more information, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000629.html