Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report February 9, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been planned for Istituto Comprensivo Pietrasanta1-Scuola Secondaria 1° Grado "Padre Eugenio Barsanti" in Pietrasanta, Lucca, Italy on Tuesday, February 10 at 10:24 UTC. Students have been learning about the planets, planetary systems, rocket technology and radio communications. They have applied their knowledge of English in writing and rehearsing space related questions for the astronaut. They have studied the history of spaceflight and have written essays on space related topics. They have also learned about world geography and have developed cooperation and teamwork skills.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Alexandroupolis School of Special Education and 11th Alexandroupolis Primary School in Alexandroupolis, Greece. The contact will take place on Wednesday, February 11 at 07:43 UTC. Astronomy and amateur radio lectures have been given in preparation for the event. Special attention has been given to the role of humanity and science and to the every day life of an astronaut. The ISS courses have been based on ESA's education tool "ISS Education Kit."

2. Canadian Contact Successful

On Monday, February 2, students from Humber College Institute of Technology and Higher Learning in Toronto, Ontario, Canada participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Approximately 100 students gathered in the lab where the radio gear was built and watched as students posed 12 questions to Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE. There was national coverage of the event and it was broadcasted on morning television and radio - Canada AM (CTV Network). The Toronto Star and Toronto Sun were also present. The audience reached in Toronto was estimated to be over 3,000,000.

To view the Toronto Sun article, go to: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/02/02/8237126.html

Toronto Star's story may be found at: http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/581309

For CTV coverage, see: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090203/students_space_...

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) network carried a 14 minute piece on the Humber College contact that included an 8 minute interview with one of the lead students, followed by a 6 minute clip of the students and Sandy. The story also ran on the show "As it Happens," which is part of CBC's national network program feed and airs coast to coast beginning at 18:30 in each respective time zone. It was then posted on the Web: http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090202.shtml (The interview starts at approximately 16:50 in part one. Contact audio runs from 21:30 to 24:00.)

The February 3 issue of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) Daily Launch also picked up on the news. It posted a summary, "College Students Contact ISS with Home Built Antenna," citing and providing a link to the CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/02/02/students-iss.html

3. UK Students Radio ISS

Students attending Pilton Bluecoat Junior School in Barnstaple, Devon, England experienced a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, February 6. Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE answered 20 questions posed to her by ten children as an audience of approximately 260 students and guests looked on. Two newspapers covered the event. The contact video is available for viewing. Go to: http://www.it-sparkles.co.uk/ARISS/pilton.aspx

4. ARISS Contact with German School, a Success

On Saturday, February 7, Städtisches Gymnasium Herzogenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Students were able to have 18 questions answered before the ISS went over the horizon. Approximately 350 students, teachers and parents were in attendance. The national television channel WDR, two radio stations WDR-Radio and Radio Aachen, and a few local newspapers covered the event. The audio was also fed into the EchoLink AMSAT server. The Aachener Zeitung article (in German) may be found here: http://www.az-web.de/lokales/nordkreis-detail-az/803788/Funk-AG-des-Gymnasiu...

5. Assam, India Students Speak with Mike Fincke

The College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University in Imphal, Assam, India took part in a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, February 8 via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. Fourteen of the 16 questions prepared for the contact were answered by Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW servers and received 9 connections from 6 countries. An article ran in the Morung Express. See: http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/13605.html

6. Article Posted on Axam Jatiya Vidyalaya Contact

On January 7, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was conducted between Mike Fincke, KE5AIT and Axam Jatiya Vidyalaya students in Guwahati, India. The Assam Tribune published an article on the event in its February 7 Horizon supplement. See: http://www.assamtribune.com/feb0709/horizon.html

7. Ellis Elementary School Contact Video

On December 8, 2008, Ellis Elementary School in Belleville, Illinois experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE. St. Louis public television KETC featured the contact on its "Living St. Louis" program. The video has been posted to YouTube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2TuJyNXx0c&eurl=http://livingstlouis.wor...