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

September 10, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact is planned with Maroochydore State School in Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia on Wednesday, September 12 at 07:03 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. The contact will be integrated into a comprehensive science curriculum. Robotics kits were provided to the students and an astronomy club was formed at the school. Lessons have focused on the Venus Transit, the Juno mission and the Curiosity mission.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact is planned for Thursday, September 13 with children from NASA Goddard Child Development Center (GCDC), Greenbelt, MD, Howard B. Owens Science Center, Lanham, MD and University of Maryland's Center for Young Children, College Park, MD. The contact will take place at 16:43 UTC. The contact and supporting activities will strengthen the students' interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subject matter.

Burns Sci-Tech Charter School in Oak Hill, Florida is slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, September 13 at 18:21 UTC. Daytona Beach Amateur Radio Association, Inc. will support the school in this endeavor. The contact will be integrated into lessons on radio waves, electricity, communications, geography and languages.

2. German Students Delighted with ARISS Contact

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between on-orbit astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB and students at the Gymnasium Michelstadt in Michelstadt, Germany on Friday, September 7. Williams was able to answer 14 questions posed by the students during the ISS pass. Over 1600 students, teachers, and VIP's were in attendance, as well as representatives from radio, television and newspapers. Positive feedback was received from the school, including the following: "Older colleagues compared the feeling to watching the moon landing in TV. Our Kids were electrified and already now we can see an increased interest in sciences and extracurricular activities. We are planning to continue this topic and have further projects in this field." Video has been posted. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmL6wSPWzE

3. Girls' School Speaks with ISS Astronaut

On Sunday, September 9, Tara Anglican School in North Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia spoke with Astronaut Sunita Williams, KD5PLB via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The radio connection was provided by telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. The contact was integrated into the school's science and space curriculum. Tara Anglican, a girls K-12 school, was selected by Oxford University as the Australian school to participate in the Global Jet Watch Program which links astronomers at Oxford University with students from four high schools around the world in Australia, Chile, South Africa and India in order to carry out cutting edge research. Oxford University installed a research grade 20 inch RC Optical telescope, together with custom designed instrumentation and an observatory with a 4.5 metre dome on Tara's grounds for use by the students. The school also formed a partnership with the Astronomical Society of New South Wales (ASNSW) through which students are mentored in complex astronomy projects by experienced amateur astronomers.

4. AMSAT News Service on ARISS

The September 9 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-253) included an item about AMSAT President Barry Baines, who talked about ARISS and other educational activities in an interview held at Shelby, North Carolina Hamfest with HAMRADIONOW.tv. A link to the video is included in the article or may be found directly on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o_PV2b9F6g&feature=youtu.be . See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000648.html