Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report July 13, 2009

1. ARISS Contact Between Koichi Wakata and Mugegawa Junior High

On Saturday, July 11, students from Mugegawa Junior High School participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA. Wakata answered 17 questions posed to him by the students. Over three hundred parents and guests attended the event, which was covered by five newspapers and a television station.

2. ARISS Contact Held with Technopolis, Belgium

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN on the ISS and Technopolis® in Mechelen, Antwerpen, Belgium. The contact took place on Saturday, July 11 via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. Fourteen questions were asked and answered as an audience of 200 looked on. Belgian astronaut Dirk Frimout was present and gave a talk on space. Three radio and television stations and two newspapers covered the event. The contact audio was fed into the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) and EchoLink servers, providing additional outreach.

3. Successful ARISS Contact with Euro Space Center

On Sunday, July 12, youth visiting the Euro Space Center in Belgium during Air and Space Day participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN on the ISS. The contact was made possible through telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Twenty-four students asked one question each of the astronaut in front of an audience of 500 guests. The contact audio was fed into the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) and EchoLink servers, providing additional outreach.

4. SuitSat-2 Becomes a Satellite

The Orlan spacesuit that was to house SuitSat-2 amateur radio equipment was recently discarded on a Progress due to space limitations on the ISS. Work continues on the satellite hardware with plans to use a different configuration for deployment. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team plans to meet delivery and launch dates for an EVA deployment in April 2010. For more information, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php

5. ARISS Satellite Meeting Held

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) U.S. team met in Phoenix, Arizona over the July 10 - 12 weekend. The team performed integration tests on various components of the SuitSat-2 hardware.

6. Astronaut Training Status

A training session is planned this week for astronaut Tracy Caldwell to prepare her for her amateur radio license exam. Caldwell is scheduled to fly with Expedition 23 in April 2010.

7. AMSAT Videos of Dayton Hamvention Available for Viewing

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) has posted videos taken at the Dayton Hamvention 2009. Several Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) presentations are available for viewing. (ARISS Status, Will Marchant; Columbus Module Antennas, Lou McFadin; SuitSat-2, Gould Smith; Spaceflight Participant, Richard Garriott) See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/videoNews.php

8. ARISS News on Amateur Radio Newsline

On July 10, Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1665 provided a status on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) SuitSat-2 program. To view "Ham Radio in Space: SuitSat-2 Loses the Suit Part but will Still Fly," see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News-A/news.txt