Archived ARISS status reports *********************** January 23, 2012 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for El Dorado County Office of Education in Placerville, California on Tuesday, January 24, at 18:12 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The ARISS contact is part of a comprehensive education plan which will pique students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). 2. Andre Kuipers Radios Belgian Students On Wednesday, January 18, Vrije Technische Scholen (VTS), a technical and professional secondary school located in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS. Kuipers fielded the students’ questions about what it is like to live in space. The session underscored lessons covering electricity, mechanics, antennas and space. The event was covered by television and radio stations. 3. ARISS International Teleconference Held The ARISS monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, January 17. Topics of discussion included the ITU notification of ARISS frequencies, an update on the Columbus module and a status report on ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted: http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2012-01-17.htm 4. ARISSat-1 Used to Interest Students in STEM The amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1 was used by Polk County, Florida schools to interest students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). An estimated 800 students were exposed to the ARISSat-1 project from 4 Polk County elementary schools. Over 800 students attended career day presentations on the satellite in October 2010 and broadcast information on ARISSat on local school TV in October 2011. Nearly 50 students in the Sleepy Hill Elementary gifted program made several attempts to communicate with the satellite in September 2011, although unsuccessfully (more time, better equipment and experienced help were needed). Those students are currently participating in ham radio classes to prepare for their amateur radio technician class exams. ARISS volunteer Dave Jordan, AA4KN plans to follow up by giving a post-mission presentation on ARISSat in the near future. 5. ARRL QST Covers ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) February 2012 QST coverage of ARISS items include the following: In the "In Brief" column was a piece about how the ARISS Delegates and team members from all over the world met together in Houston for the ARISS Annual Meeting. There was a 3-page article about how ham radio operator, Doug Cook, KD5PDN, set up a low-power inexpensive ham station and antenna with the aim of making ARISS contacts, and was successful. He cited getting useful information on the web from ARISS, NASA, AMSAT, ISS Fan Club, and from ARISS team member Clint Bradford. The article sported a beautiful NASA photo of the ISS in addition to photos showing aspects of his ham station and antennas. 6. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS The January 22 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-022) included the following ARISS-related stories: “NASA Launches STEM connector Website” “Winners in the ARISSat-1/KEDR Chicken Little Contest” “Winners of the ARISSat-1/KEDR Grab the Last Telemetry Contest” All items may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000586.html 7. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On January 20, Amateur Radio Newsline report #1797 noted the upcoming ARISS contact opportunities under the heading “Ham Radio in Space.” “Plan Your Late 2012 ARISS Schoolroom Contact Now” may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** January 16, 2012 1. Upcoming School Contact Vrije Technische Scholen (VTS), located in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, January 18 at 09:47 UTC. VTS is a technical and professional secondary school for students ages 12 - 18. Lesson plans associated with this contact have been adapted for the different age and skill levels of the students and cover electricity, mechanics, antennas and space. 2. Burbank Participates in ARISS Contact with Descartes High School Descartes High School in Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX on Monday, January 9. Burbank talked about how astronauts from different cultures get along on the ISS and fielded questions about the various experiments performed onboard the Space Station. About three hundred students and visitors were present for the event, including Astronaut Leopold Eyharts who exchanged greetings with Burbank. Presentations were given before the contact and a Question and Answer session followed. The ARISS contact was a featured activity for students who have been studying life and work on the ISS and through collaboration with the town’s amateur radio club, have also been learning about radio and wireless technology. NASA has posted video of the event on its Web site. See: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=128483501 3. Belgian Students Radio Andre Kuipers On Friday, January 13, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students from Atheneum Borgloon in Belgium and Astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS on the ISS. The radio connection was provided by telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The ARISS event highlighted a science curriculum covering the history of space travel, the solar system and the ISS. Other activities included space workshops and a field trip to the Eurospace Center in Transinne. Approximately 100 people tied into the contact through streaming video on the internet. 4. ARISS Contact Article in Canadian Magazine The January/February 2012 issue of the Canadian Amateur Magazine (TCA) has a great article on an ARISS contact held in Thetford Mines, Québec on November 14, 2011. The contact was arranged by a fourteen year old at the school. The story, written by ARISS Delegate Maurice-André Vigneault, VE3VIG, is titled, “Quebec Youth Masters ISS Contact.” A photo and the table of contents may be viewed at: http://www.rac.ca/tca/ 5. KPARC ARISS Presentation ARISS volunteer Dave Jordan, AA4KN gave a talk on the ARISS program during the Sun City, Florida Kings Point Amateur Radio Club (KPARC) monthly meeting on January 9. His presentation covered basic operations of the ARISS organization, a brief history of ARISS beginning with SAREX and a section discussing the ARISSat-1 mission during which he showed released photos and others that illustrated the assembly, testing and general development efforts that took place in the Orlando lab. In concluding his talk, Jordan suggested that the club members form a group to meet with local schools and encourage them to submit proposals for future ARISS contacts. Some photos from the presentation are available here: http://www.kparc.org/archive/aa4kn.htm 6. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Alexander Gerst is interested in earning his amateur radio license and will be participating in training sessions in February. He is scheduled to fly with Expedition 40 in May 2014. *********************** January 9, 2012 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Atheneum Borgloon in Borgloon, Belgium on Friday, January 13 at 12:35 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contact will be integrated into science lessons covering the history of space travel, the solar system and the ISS, including the Columbus module. ESA ISS Education kits will be utilized. Students will take a trip to the Eurospace Center in Transinne and will participate in space workshops and other hands-on activities. The radio talk is planned with on-orbit Astronaut Andre Kuipers and Astronaut Frank DeWinne has also been invited to speak with the children. 2. Poland Contact Successful A successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held on Monday, January 2 between Zespól Szkól nr 2 in Zuromin, Poland and Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX on the ISS. Students asked questions to learn what an ordinary day on the ISS is like. Over 300 students and guests gathered for the event including several distinguished visitors: Head of Zuromin District, Mayor of Zuromin City, Head of Education Department Municipal Office of the City of Zuromin, Headmaster of junior grammar school in Biezun, Headmaster of Polish secondary school in Zuromin, Headmaster of ZS nr 2 in Zuromin and Headmaster of SSP in Kliczewo. Another 140 people watched streaming video of the event on the internet. The contact highlighted the curriculum at the school covering modeling, telecommunications and robotics. 3. ARISSat-1 Re-enters Earth’s Atmosphere The ARISSat-1 satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere sometime early on January 4. The last telemetry reported was from stations in Japan at 06:02:14 UTC with telemetry indicating high temperatures. AMSAT reported the news in a special report on January 4 and in the January 8 AMSAT News Service weekly bulletin (ANS-008). See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000582.html The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered the news in its January 5 ARRL Letter: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2012-01-05#toc03 Amateur Radio Newsline also picked up the story in its article, “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat One Mission Comes to a Close.” It may be viewed in the January 6 report #1795: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 4. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office is accepting proposals for ARISS-U.S. contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 – January 15, 2013 timeframe. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 30, 2012. The last informational session will be held on Wednesday, January 11 at 3 pm CST to answer any questions concerning the proposal process. To attend the 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.html *********************** January 2, 2012 1. Poland Contact Successful On Saturday, December 31, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between on-orbit Astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX and students visiting the Historical Museum of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland. Burbank fielded approximately twelve questions from the students, including those about experiments conducted on the ISS and how micro-gravity affects the human body. The contact was one of the activities the museum held in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of astronomer Johannes Hevelius. The museum displayed exhibitions which represent Hevelius' achievements and research instruments. It also showcased exhibits of modern space exploration. 2. ARISS Presentation at Ham Club ARISS volunteer Dave Jordan, AA4KN will give a presentation on the ARISS program during the Kings Point Amateur Radio Club (KPARC) monthly meeting on January 9 at 2 pm ET. The club is located in Sun City Center, Florida. 3. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS The January 1 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-001) talks about ARISSat-1 and when it may re-enter Earth’s atmosphere; current predictions are between December 30 and January 16. And with the pending re-entry, an update was given on the Chicken Little Contest, with potential winners listed at www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ARISSat/ARISSatContest . Also included in the bulletin this week are “Highlights of ARISS International Delegates Annual Meeting.” All items may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000579.html