Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report March 16, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Parkside Community College in Parkside, Cambridge, U.K. has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, March 30 at 17:00 UTC. Station GB4FUN will handle the connection.

The Girl's Middle School (GMS) in Mountain View, California has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, March 30 at 18:22 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. The contact is planned with spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi, KE7KDP/HA5SIK. GMS is a small, independent school for girls in 6th - 8th grade. The school's mission is to nurture and empower girls during this pivotal time in their lives. It looks for non-traditional educational opportunities to help girls expand their horizons.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Marcelino Canino Canino Middle School in Dorado, Puerto Rico. The contact will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 15:36 UTC. The student body is made up of 577 students of which approximately 77% live under the poverty level. 100% of the students receive Title I services and over 100 students receive special education services. A Microsatellite Student Program has been implemented where students design, construct, build and launch microsatellites which are then tracked and recovered with the help of amateur radio operators. The coordinating teacher has prepared a NASA Explorer Schools proposal and other science oriented proposals in the school to help motivate its largely underprivileged population to become competitive professionals in the global economy. Two contests have been held at the school - one for an activity logo and another for an essay. Scientists, state government functionaries, Department of Education representatives, and students from other grade levels in elementary and high school have been invited to attend the event. Of major interest to the students is the fact that Joseph Acaba, the first astronaut of Puerto Rican descent, will be going to the ISS on STS 119. The school is planning its own press releases and expects media coverage.

Milwee Middle School in Longwood, Florida has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, April 1 at 17:55 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium.

Carl Sandburg Elementary in the Lake Washington School district in Kirkland, Washington has been approved for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The contact is slated for Thursday, April 2 at 19:35 UTC, assisted by telebridge station W6SRJ in California.

2. Contacts Cancelled

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts that were planned for the Sewickley Academy and the DaVinci Science Center on March 12 and 14, respectively, were both cancelled due to scheduling issues. The DaVinci contact will be rescheduled in the near future.

3. Astronaut Training Status

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) basic operations and school contact training course was held with Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW, on Friday, March 6. Furukawa is currently assigned as a back up crew member for Expedition 22.

4. Italian School Contact Update

On Wednesday, February 25, students attending 1 Circolo Didattico G. Marconi in Casamassima, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. News items covering the contact are now available. See:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=571IBetr5l8

http://www.thenewspaper.it/articles.php?article_id=100

http://www.thenewspaper.it/articles.php?article_id=89

5. ARRL Article on Discovery

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a short Web story on the STS-119 mission which will carry ham astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, to the ISS. See: http://www.arrl.org/?artid=8825

The story was also posted in the ARRL Letter: https://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/09/0313/

The ARRL Web site has 100,000 regular readers; the e-newsletter has a circulation of 115,000.

6. ARRL QST Covers ARISS News

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) published an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) news item in its April 2009 issue of QST.

It ran a short article called "NJ Scouts Fly High." It is about Boy Scouts from the Central New Jersey Council earning their Radio Merit Badges, mentored by the Delaware Valley Radio Association and the David Sarnoff Radio Club. The highlight of the educational activities was when Greg Olsen, KC2ONX, gave a presentation to the boys about his time on the ISS and used Amateur Radio to be interviewed by students. There was a photo of the boys readying for their own contacts on the air.

The ARRL monthly journal has a circulation of 150,000.

7. ARISS in Amateur Radio Newsline Article

On March 13, Amateur Radio Newsline (Report #1648) ran a story on the Radio Club of America (RCA) which donated a radio station to the Lake Monroe Amateur Radio Club in Orlando, Florida. The club gives demonstrations to schools and children's hospitals on how to contact the International Space Station with amateur radio. The article, "Radio Education: RCA Donates Station to Florida Club," may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt