Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 3, 2010

1. Upcoming School Contacts

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Nippon Boy Scout Amateur Radio Club in Mitaka-shi, Japan on Tuesday, May 4 at 15:09 UTC. The Japan Boy Scouts have an amateur radio club, JA1YSS and study amateur radio station operations. The boys look forward to speaking with Soichi Noguchi, a former Boy Scout.

The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C. has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Space Day, Saturday, May 8 at 17:01 UTC via VK4KHZ in Australia. The Education Division of NASM is recruiting the young people who will participate in the contact. Generally, Boy Scouts and other groups are involved with this activity. The Museum draws approximately 30,000 on this Saturday in May.

Komoro Higashi Junior High School in Komoro, Nagano, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, May 14 at 11:16 UTC. The students have become especially interested in space due to Koichi Wakata, the first long term Japanese astronaut on the ISS. Many children chose to take a space themed course under their general education requirement. As part of their studies, they visited Nobeyama Radio Observatory and worked on radio kits. A JAXA representative visited the school and gave a presentation on space and the ISS. Through these activities, students enhanced their knowledge of space, the ISS and communication using ham radio.

2. ARISS Contact Held at IARU Exhibition/European Parliament

Students from European School Brussels II were invited to the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on April 27 to participate in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Timothy Creamer, KC5WKI. Other students remaining at the school listened in to the contact via teleconference. Telebridge station LU1CGB in Argentina provided the connection. The ISS hook-up was the highlight of the ESA/IARU (International Amateur Radio Union) Region 1 exhibition, "European Amateur Radio Benefiting Society." Afterwards, astronauts Frank De Winne and Robert Thirsk as well as cosmonaut Roman Romanenko visited the exhibition and met with a group of 40 students to answer questions about their space missions. Several Members of the European Parliament and assistants attended the event.

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted articles on this event.

For the ARRL story, see: http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-exhibition-reflects-unity-in-europe-e...

For AMSAT coverage, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php

3. Astronaut Training Status

On Monday, April 26, astronauts Ron Garan (Expedition 27) and Kevin Ford (Expedition TBD) successfully passed their FCC amateur radio licensing exams. Callsigns should be posted to the FCC database in about a week.

4. Soichi Noguchi Contacts Showa Base

On April 29, on-orbit astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP used ARISS radio equipment and contacted Yuusuke Otani and Sakae Kudouh at Showa Base in Antarctica. This was the first contact ever made between the ISS and Showa Base, 8J1RL. Noguchi remarked on the event, "One small chat for man, a giant leap for ARISS!"