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

April 16, 2012

1. Upcoming School Contact

Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy in Riverside, California has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, April 19 at 17:03 UTC via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. The ARISS contact will complement a comprehensive education plan which will pique students' interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). For more information about the event, see: http://www.iss-flabob.com

2. Astronaut Don Pettit Radios Ecuadorian School

On Friday, April 13, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students from Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador and on-orbit astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT via station IK1SLD in Italy. Cotopaxi, an international American school with students in grades pre-K to 12, has a strong relationship with Ecuador's astronaut, Ronnie Nader, and the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency (EXA). It utilized several NASA resources in its curriculum covering space, technology and radio. Approximately 500 students and visitors were present for the event.

3. Iruma Contact Successful

Scouts from the Troop 2nd & 3rd Iruma Group, Saitama Scout Council, Scout Association of Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, April 14. An audience of 70 people, including one magazine representative, turned out for the contact and listened as the Scouts had their questions about living on the ISS answered by on-orbit astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX. The Scouts have their own radio club, JQ1YWJ and many of the Scouts have been attending amateur radio classes to become licensed.

4. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISS

The April 13 Amateur Radio Newsline report #1809 included an item on the upcoming ARISS contact with Flabob Airport on Thursday, April 19. The article, "Ham Radio in Space: ISS Contact to Historic Flabob Airport" may be found at: http://www.arnewsline.org/storage/scripts/nsln1809.txt

5. AMSAT News Service on ARISS

The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-106) that was posted on April 15 included a few ARISS-related items. The first piece is a reminder that during the Dayton Hamvention 2012, to be held May 18 - 20, informational sessions will be provided for those interested in becoming ARISS mentors. The second item covers the upcoming ARISS contact with Flabob Airport. For more information, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000609.html