Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report January 19, 2009

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, January 20 at 18:06 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. A space club has been formed at the hospital and those children participating in the club have learned about the ISS via videos, the internet and guest speakers. They have learned to use correct radio protocol and have tracked and plotted the course of the ISS. They have also created artwork to be displayed during the contact. Media coverage of the event is expected.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Castor Valley Elementary School in Greely, Ontario, Canada on Tuesday, January 27 at 19:30 UTC. A space club has been formed at the school for grades 1-8. Students from this group will ask questions of the astronaut. Students have learned about the ISS via video, internet and through guest speakers. They have been taught the correct radio protocol and have tracked and plotted the course of the ISS. All classes have taken part in space projects and activities. Media, members of the community, the school board and other dignitaries have been invited to attend.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with CERAM EAI in Sophia Antipolis, Alpes Maritimes, France. The contact will take place on Thursday, January 29 at 14:54 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. CERAM University conducts research projects in aviation, engineering and IT. Amateur radio communication has been introduced to students to prepare for the contact. Newspaper and television coverage is anticipated and webcast retransmission is possible.

Ecole & Collège Jean XXIII, a private primary & secondary school in Pamiers, France, will experience an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, January 30 at approximately 13:08 UTC. Five hundred students, ages 3 to 15 years old, attend the school. Students in the third cycle classes (3rd - 5th grades) and those in their second year of secondary school have studied radio communications. Radio operators from "l'Institut de Développement des Radiocommunications par l'Enseignement" (IDRE) have introduced radio technology to the children. Topics covered included remote command use, introduction to Morse code, ham radio phone contact, distress beacon search, electronic kits, and different ham radio station possibilities. This ARISS activity has been incorporated into the educational subjects of Astronomy, History of Space Exploration, Geography and Writing.

2. Richard Garriott Debrief

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program debriefing session was held with spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, on Tuesday, January 13. Richard gave a status on the ISS Ham equipment onboard the ISS and provided valuable feedback on ARISS operations.

3. Cosmonaut Training Status

Cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratiev received training on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) equipment. He is scheduled to fly on Expedition 20. Photos of the training session are available on the Energia Web site. See: http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss20/photo_01-14.html