Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report October 4, 2010

1. Upcoming School Contact

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for IRSEA, a non-profit Institute of Research and Education, in Bisceglie, Italy on Tuesday, October 5 at 15:28 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contact is part of a professional education program called "Promotion of the characteristics of the Puglia region." The subject matter includes space communications, space life, space achievements, advantage of space research, use of man-made satellites and the International Space Station. The contact will be webcast: http://www.cittadellamediterraneadellascienza.it/

2. ARISS Presentations to be Given at AMSAT Symposium

The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) Space Symposium will be held Friday - Sunday, October 8 - 10 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. ARISS Delegate Rosalie White wrote a paper for the meeting called "ARISS = Education." Keith Pugh will give a talk on satellite demonstrations with students and will present an overview of the ARISS team this past year. Additionally, several ARISSat-1 presentations will be given and a prototype will be on site. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2010/SymposiumSchedule.php

3. MAI-75 Experiment Activated

The Russian ISS crew members activated the MAI-75 (Moscow Aviation Institute) experiment on Monday - Wednesday, September 27 - 29. The system was operated in Martin 1 mode. Among those who captured Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images transmitted by the crew were ground stations in Asia, Europe and Africa. For more information, see: http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ Images have been archived here: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/SSTV/

4. Astronaut Training Status

Astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT participated in an ARISS special topics training session on Tuesday, September 28. Several capabilities of the Kenwood system including SSTV and crossband operations were covered. Pettit is slated to fly with Expedition 30 in November 2011.

5. AMSAT Announces that ARISSat-1 is Ready to Ship

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted a report on its Web site giving a description of ARISSat-1 and its capabilities - simultaneous 2m FM, CW, BPSK and transponder transmissions. Having passed its vibration tests, it is ready to ship to Russia. For the latest status on ARISSat-1, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php

6. ARRL Covers ARISSat-1

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) carried a Web story on the status of ARISSat-1. "ARISSat-1 in Satellite Final Preparation" gives a description of the satellite and the educational opportunities that will be available to students when launched, including satellite tracking, voice greetings in several languages and telemetry. The article also appears in the September 30 ARRL Letter. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-in-satellite-final-preparation