Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report January 16, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contact

Vrije Technische Scholen (VTS), located in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, January 18 at 09:47 UTC. VTS is a technical and professional secondary school for students ages 12 - 18. Lesson plans associated with this contact have been adapted for the different age and skill levels of the students and cover electricity, mechanics, antennas and space.

2. Burbank Participates in ARISS Contact with Descartes High School

Descartes High School in Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX on Monday, January 9. Burbank talked about how astronauts from different cultures get along on the ISS and fielded questions about the various experiments performed onboard the Space Station. About three hundred students and visitors were present for the event, including Astronaut Leopold Eyharts who exchanged greetings with Burbank. Presentations were given before the contact and a Question and Answer session followed. The ARISS contact was a featured activity for students who have been studying life and work on the ISS and through collaboration with the town's amateur radio club, have also been learning about radio and wireless technology. NASA has posted video of the event on its Web site. See: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=128483501

3. Belgian Students Radio Andre Kuipers

On Friday, January 13, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students from Atheneum Borgloon in Belgium and Astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS on the ISS. The radio connection was provided by telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The ARISS event highlighted a science curriculum covering the history of space travel, the solar system and the ISS. Other activities included space workshops and a field trip to the Eurospace Center in Transinne. Approximately 100 people tied into the contact through streaming video on the internet.

4. ARISS Contact Article in Canadian Magazine

The January/February 2012 issue of the Canadian Amateur Magazine (TCA) has a great article on an ARISS contact held in Thetford Mines, Québec on November 14, 2011. The contact was arranged by a fourteen year old at the school. The story, written by ARISS Delegate Maurice-André Vigneault, VE3VIG, is titled, "Quebec Youth Masters ISS Contact." A photo and the table of contents may be viewed at: http://www.rac.ca/tca/

5. KPARC ARISS Presentation

ARISS volunteer Dave Jordan, AA4KN gave a talk on the ARISS program during the Sun City, Florida Kings Point Amateur Radio Club (KPARC) monthly meeting on January 9. His presentation covered basic operations of the ARISS organization, a brief history of ARISS beginning with SAREX and a section discussing the ARISSat-1 mission during which he showed released photos and others that illustrated the assembly, testing and general development efforts that took place in the Orlando lab. In concluding his talk, Jordan suggested that the club members form a group to meet with local schools and encourage them to submit proposals for future ARISS contacts. Some photos from the presentation are available here: http://www.kparc.org/archive/aa4kn.htm

6. Astronaut Training Status

Astronaut Alexander Gerst is interested in earning his amateur radio license and will be participating in training sessions in February. He is scheduled to fly with Expedition 40 in May 2014.