Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report May 16, 2011

1. Upcoming School Contacts

The ARISS team continues to work on the school contact schedule. The next contacts to be held are dependent on the launch date of STS-134.

2. Recent ARISS Contacts

On Monday, May 9 students from St. Michael School in Schererville, Indiana and astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS took part in an ARISS contact. The school partners with the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana and provided students with this ARISS contact to highlight its science curriculum. Approximately 430 students, teachers and guests watched and listened as 16 questions about life in space were asked and answered. Contact video was streamed on the internet and representatives from three newspapers covered the event. The Times posted an article. See: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/schererville/article_1a1b5c1d-0f5d-5...

Mount Carmel Academy students from Houston, Texas participated in an ARISS contact with on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO on Tuesday, May 10 via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. This was Garan's first ARISS contact and he handled nine questions, providing comprehensive answers. The contact complemented lessons on the International Space Station as well as amateur radio and Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club provided follow-on educational support. News of the ARISS contact reached approximately 580,000 households through the Comcast Channel 18 simulcast of Houston Independent School District news and through KUHF, the local PBS radio station. See: http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=13050...

Students from Tecnico Industriale Statale "Gerolamo e Margherita Montani," in Fermo, Italy established an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA on Thursday, May 12. The contact highlighted the school curriculum which focuses on Chemistry, Biotechnology, Electronics, Computer Science, Telecommunications and Mechanics. Nespoli fielded 21 questions posed by the youth over two ISS passes. The event was attended by nearly 300 students and visitors and video was streamed over the internet.

An ARISS contact was held between students from Primary School Pasquale Luisi and Secondaria Di 1° Grado Virgilio, both located in Foggia, Italy, and ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli on Saturday, May 14. An audience of 200 attended the event and listened as Nespoli spoke to the students over two consecutive ISS passes, answering a total of 18 questions. Through this contact and related studies, students were introduced to amateur radio, astronauts and the International Space Station.

3. AMSAT News on ARISS Events

The May 15 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-135) contained an update to the ARISS related activities which will be held at the Dayton Hamvention on May 20 - 22. It also included a status on ARISSat-1 and a piece on AMSAT's involvement with the National Air and Space Museum Space Day 2011 event. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000514.html