Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 9, 2011

1. Upcoming School Contacts

St. Michael School, Schererville, Indiana has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, May 9 at 18:00 UTC. The school partners with the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana. Students are provided with a variety of learning experiences. In addition to this ARISS contact, students are also involved with Science Lab, Creative Communications, Rube Goldberg, School Television Broadcast and Weather Bug.

Mount Carmel Academy, Houston, Texas has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, May 10 at 15:29 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. Mount Carmel students have been learning about the International Space Station, the ARISS program, and amateur radio. The mechanics of performing a contact with an orbiting body have been discussed and the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club has provided follow-on educational support.

2. Recent ARISS Contacts

Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA participated in an ARISS contact with students attending Greenville Elementary School in Greenville, Illinois on Friday, May 6 using the Ericsson radio which was recently installed in the Columbus module. Fifteen questions were asked and answered before the ISS went over the horizon. Greenville, a NASA Explorer School, has developed a curriculum which promotes interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, (STEM) and geography. Local radio operators provide in-services and demonstrations, as well as training and support for staff and students with an interest in radio.

Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale "Enrico Mattei" students in Maglie, Italy spoke with on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA on Saturday, May 7 via an ARISS contact. Approximately 200 students and visitors turned out for the event and listened as the astronaut fielded the 18 questions posed to him. The contact had been integrated into a curriculum that focused on radio-telecommunications and space research. Another project that the school recently participated in with its partner ASI- Italian Space Agency was the project "COSMIC RAYS."

On Saturday, May 7, the Turin Flying Institute in Caselle Torinese, Italy experienced an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA on the ISS. Twenty space-related questions prepared by the youth were answered over 2 consecutive ISS passes. Nearly 150 students and guests were in attendance and the event video was streamed over the internet. The contact was incorporated into the science curriculum which included courses on Electronics, Radios and Astronomical Navigation.

An ARISS contact was held on Saturday, May 7 at the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of the Space Day 2011 celebration. The radio link was provided by station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. A number of AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) volunteers engaged visitors in satellites and space and a presentation was given about amateur radio. A screen displayed a PowerPoint presentation about the ISS and ham radio and audio/visual equipment allowed visitors to hear the questions and answers. The average crowd in the Museum on this Saturday in May is about 30,000.

3. AMSAT - Upcoming Activities at Dayton Hamvention

The May 8 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-128) has an item about activities planned for the Dayton Hamvention, to be held on May 20 - 22, which will include a visit from astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, a display of the ARISSat-1 prototype and a talk on ARISSat-1 given by Project Manager Gould Smith, WA4SXM. In addition, Dave Jordan will speak about ARISS at Dayton's Teachers Forum. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000512.html

4. Astronaut Training Status

Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX took part in a preflight session on Wednesday, May 4. He is slated to fly with Expedition 29 in September 2011.

Tom Marshburn (Expedition 34) is scheduled for an ARISS basic ops session on Monday, May 9.