Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 18, 2009

1. School Contact Delayed

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact originally scheduled for Kawanishi Seiwadai Community Center in Hyogo, Japan on Wednesday, May 20 has been delayed due to the flu. The contact will be rescheduled.

2. JAXA's Koichi Wakata Speaks with Students via ARISS Contact

On Monday, May 11, twelve students from Besyo Elementary School in Saitama, Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA. An audience of approximately 800 watched as the students asked questions about life in space. Several newspapers and magazines covered the event.

3. Frank Bauer Receives CQ's Radio Hall of Fame Award

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO was inducted into CQ magazine's Amateur Radio Hall of Fame for making a significant contribution to amateur radio. This award is given to persons who not only excel in personal performance in amateur radio, but also give back to amateur radio in a significant manner. Frank was Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman from 1996-2009 and AMSAT VP Human Spaceflight, 1991-2009. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/15/10820/?nc=1

4. Frank Bauer Receives ARRL President's Award

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) President Joel Harrison presented past Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO with the ARRL President's Award. This award is voted on by the Board of Directors and given out every 7 or 8 years to honor someone's outstanding work.

5. ARISS News on Amateur Radio Newsline

On May 15, Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1657 included a short item, "Ham Radio in Space: European Ham to Become ISS Commander." The story is about ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN, who is scheduled to fly with Expedition 20 as a flight engineer and as commander for Expedition 21. He plans to participate in Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts during his flight. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt .

6. Garriotts Attend Dayton Hamvention

Over the weekend of May 15-17, Richard Garriott, W5KWQ and Owen Garriott, W5LFL both attended Dayton Hamvention 2009 and graced the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and American Radio Relay League (ARRL) booths. Tens of thousands of people were continuously buzzing with excitement regarding the father and son visit. Both of them did a phenomenal job at the various forums, press briefings, and banquets. Richard winning this year's Hamvention Special Achievement Award was appropriate given all he did for amateur radio during his 10 day stay on the ISS.

7. ARRL Article on Dayton Hamvention

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a story on the Dayton Hamvention, held at the Hara Arena in Ohio over the weekend of May 15 -17. The article includes a piece on Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, who spoke about his ham radio activities while onboard the ISS at both the ARRL and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) forums. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/16/10823/?nc=1

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