Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report

April 23, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contact

Istituto Comprensivo di Calolziocorte - Scuola Media in Calolziocorte, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, April 24 at 13:32 UTC via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. The contact will be integrated into lessons covering astronautics, astronomy, radio techniques and English.

2. Flabob Airport Students Speak with ISS Astronaut Don Pettit

On-orbit astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT participated in a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with students from Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy in Riverside, California on Thursday, April 19 via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. The contact complemented Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects that the students have been studying such as the history and purpose of the ISS, rocket fabrication, and radio technology among other topics. An audience of over 200 attended, including Flabob students, parents, city council members, Gordon West and Don Arnold from Ham Nation, as well as other dignitaries. Several media outlets covered the event and more information is available on Flabob's site: http://www.iss-flabob.com

Ham Nation is working on the contact video for its May 1 broadcast.

Photos and video from the Press-Enterprise may be found here:

http://www.pe.com/photos/photos-news/20120419-jurupa-valley-students-talk-to -the-international-space-station.ece

http://www.pe.com/video/?bcid=1572015764001

3. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts

NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office has announced a new proposal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. Proposals may be submitted from April 23 through July 2, 2012 for contacts that will be scheduled beginning in January 2013. Informational sessions will be held to answer any questions concerning the proposal process. To attend a session or to have questions answered, contact TFS at JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-1919.

For more information, see the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.h tml

4. ARISS-International Meeting Held

The ARISS International Team monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, April 17. World Amateur Radio Day and the HamTV status were discussed. Minutes have been posted to the ARISS site: http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2012-04-17.htm

5. AMSAT News Service on ARISS

The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-113) posted on April 22 included a status on three recent ARISS contacts with students in Quito, Ecuador, Iruma, Japan and Riverside, California. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000611.html