Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report November 29, 2010

1. Italian Students Question Astronaut via ARISS

On Wednesday, November 24, on-orbit astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with students attending the Istituto Leopardi - Liceo classico e scientifico in Lecco, Lecco, Italy. The activity was the high point of the school's curriculum which included astronautics, astronomy, radio and English. Approximately 200 students, teachers and guests were present for the event and listened as Wheelock answered 13 questions posed by the youth. Video streamed on the Web received over 100 connections. ESA covered the contact in an article posted to its Web site. See: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSPVFMTGG_Italy_0.html

2. Video of Wheelock Working Ground Stations

Doug Wheelock had a video made while on-orbit in which he gives a tour of the ISS as well as of the amateur radio station. He demonstrates what it is like for an astronaut to handle general contacts with multiple ground stations calling at the same time. AMSAT included this news in its November 28 ANS report: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2010/000464.html

The video has been posted to YouTube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h73EYcyszf8