Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 30, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contact

Midvalley Elementary School in Midvale, Utah has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, December 2 at 16:13 UTC. The school is using NASA lesson plan resources and has integrated the ARISS activity into the school curriculum at many grade levels. The curriculum includes courses in electricity, radio waves, physics and math.

2. De Winne Speaks with Dumbleyung Primary School through ARISS

On Thursday, November 26, Dumbleyung Primary School in Western Australia took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Frank De Winne, ON1DWN via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. To prepare for the contact, students studied Earth, its structure and the solar system. As part of the ARISS event, students in Years 5 -7 gave presentations of their space work and viewed footage of the ISS as well as video of an astronaut interview. All 21 children had their questions answered during their radio contact and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News covered the event.

3. Don Bosco Institut Experiences ARISS Contact

On Thursday, November 26, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Institut Don Bosco in Bruxelles, Belgium and Frank De Winne on the ISS. The connection was made possible through telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. Students asked 19 questions of the astronaut during the ISS pass. Don Bosco is a secondary industrial technical school with an enrollment of approximately 750 students and offers courses in carpentry, electricity, mechanics, computing, printing and electronics.

4. ARISS Contact held with Katholieke Centrumscholen Sint-Truiden Students

Students attending Katholieke Centrumscholen Sint-Truiden in Sint-Truiden, Belgium experienced a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Frank De Winne on Thursday, November 26 via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. Twenty questions were asked and answered. In order to prepare for the radio contact, the students studied astronomy and science. In addition, the school headmaster talked to the youth about the ISS and his own experiences during two "space camps" in the U.S. (Huntsville and Kennedy Space Center).

5. ARRL Covers Installation of Columbus Module Antennas

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an article about the new antennas that were installed on the Columbus module. To view the story, which ran in the November 25 issue of the ARRL Letter, see: https://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/index.html?issue=2009-11-25

6. ARISS News on Amateur Radio Newsline

On November 27, Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1685 reported on the new Columbus module ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) antenna. To view "Ham Radio in Space: ISS Gets New Dual Band Antenna," see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt

7. New Web Site for ARISS-Brazil

ARISS Brazil recently formed a partnership with the internet portal Diário da Produção.com to publicize ARISS activities in Brazil and South America. To view the Web site, go to: http://diariodaproducao.com/