Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 2, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Westbrook Intermediate School in Friendswood, Texas on Tuesday, November 3 at 19:29 UTC via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. Westbrook Intermediate is a 6th - 8th grade campus of almost 1500 students. Housed on the campus is the district's intermediate gifted and talented magnet, Webster Academy - Visions in Education, or WAVE. This GT magnet brings together over 500 gifted and talented students from across the district to participate in a unique program design. One of the opportunities available to WAVE students is an amateur radio license class. In partnership with the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club, over 350 students have earned their ham radio license over the last 9 years and at any time, there are approximately 100 hams in attendance at the school.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for John Taylor Collegiate in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Wednesday, November 4 at 14:38 UTC via telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Students will pose questions about life and work in space to Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Bob Thirsk. John Taylor is a suburban high school with about 750 students in grades 9-12. The school follows the standard Manitoba curriculum, as well as offering Advanced Placement courses in the sciences, math and humanities.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida on Thursday, November 5 at 19:46 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. This event will be open to all Engineering first year students as a part of their profession awareness requirement for their Introduction to Engineering course. These students are currently working on a launch vehicle design project, where they are required to design a launch vehicle to insert a payload into low earth orbit, as well as several auxiliary systems such as a launch mount and fuel delivery system. The contact will also be attended by the ERAU Amateur Radio Club students and any interested upper level students.

Tokaisonritsu Muramatsu Elementary School in Tokai Vill., Ibaraki, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, November 6 at 08:47 UTC. The school is integrating the contact into its curriculum to make its students aware of the great potential space has.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Scuola Istituto Salesiano "Sacro Cuore" Vomero in Napoli, Italy on Friday, November 13 at 15:55 UTC. The contact has been integrated into the school curriculum which covers radio communications, aeronautics, astronomy and English.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the Marie-Rivier School in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Friday, November 13 at 17:29 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. The school has formed a space club and students are learning about the ISS, space and amateur radio.

2. Copernicus Science Centre - 500th ARISS Contact

On Tuesday, October 27, Frank De Winne, ON1DWN participated in the 500th Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact since December 2000. The contact was held with students visiting the brand new Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw, Poland via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. Nine questions were asked and answered before the ISS went over the horizon. The center is the largest institution of its type in Poland and houses over 400 interactive science exhibits for youth and adults.

3. Successful ARISS Contact with Sherbrooke Community School

Youth from Sherbrooke Community School in Sassafras, Victoria, Australia experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, October 28 via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA, answered seventeen questions posed to him by eleven students during the contact. Seven of the students asking questions had earned their amateur radio licenses and two of the questions were asked on behalf of their sister schools in China and Bhutan. The school operates Sherbrooke Community Club station, VK3KID and has been successful in generating new radio amateurs - ten students and four teachers, as well as the principal.

4. ARISS Contact Between Thirsk and David Thompson Middle School

On Friday, October 30, youth at David Thompson Middle School (DTMS) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA on the ISS. The contact was facilitated by the ground radio station LU8YY in Argentina. An audience of 220 gathered and watched as students asked 16 questions of the astronaut. The contact was held as part of the celebration of the International Year of Astronomy celebrating the discovery of the telescope.

5. The Rambler Shares ARISS News

The October issue of the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club bulletin "The Rambler" is dedicated to ARISS news and activities and includes the recent ARISS contact with Boy Scouts of Canada on October 3. It can be downloaded in PDF format at: http://www.ovmrc.on.ca (Click on Newsletter, then on October 2009 - latest issue is in red).

An ARISS-Canada delegate attended the Montreal Amateur Fest over the October 24 weekend where many visitors stopped at the exhibition booth, attracted by two posters of CSA astronauts Bob Thirsk and Julie Payette. Several connections were made with school affiliated personnel concerning the ARISS program.