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

October 1, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Izmir SEV Primary School, located in Turkey, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 5 at 08:32 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The school participates in the Partner School Science Program, which is a program under Global Friendship Through Space Education, a California-based non-profit organization that promotes friendship among young people from different countries and cultures through the study of space-related science and technology. Students communicate about space-related projects via e-mail, collaborate on research on NASA's distance-learning Web site, and videoconference between partner schools and NASA. First Lego League Robotic Teams and Destination Imagination Teams have been a part of school activities annually since 2005. Invitations to attend this event have been extended to several VIPs including the minister of transportation, the president of the board of education, the director of education, the mayor of Izmir and the governor of Izmir.

Sekolah Kebangsaan in Putrajaya, Malaysia will experience an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, October 7 at 11:04 UTC. The school was invited to participate by the National Space Agency Satellite Ground Station, 9M2RPN in conjunction with the "Prime Minister's National Space Challenge Trophy 2012," an annual event since 2007 when a Malaysia astronaut flew to the ISS.

2. Successful Contact Held with Waxter Young Women's Academy

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students at the Waxter Young Women's Academy in Laurel, Maryland and Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI aboard the ISS on Monday, September 24. Telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina handled the radio connection. The girls were able to have all 13 of their questions answered with enough time left to thank Hoshide for participating. Phone lines throughout the center were made available so that other students could listen in as well. The ARISS contact was part of a comprehensive education plan used to interest students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

3. Sunita Williams Speaks with Halifax Students

On Wednesday, September 26, Sacred Heart School of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB. The contact was scheduled for 16:07 UTC, and telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina connected with Williams, but the international phone line, which was to connect Argentina to Halifax, went down and could not be brought up until after the ISS had passed overhead. Williams agreed to try the contact again on the next pass. Ninety minutes later, the audience of 250 got what they had been waiting for - a successful contact! The students got in 17 questions, and one student was wished a Happy Birthday by the ISS commander. Thanks to all who helped the school complete its contact.