Archived ARISS status reports ********************** ARISS Status December 30, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio. The contact will take place Friday, January 2, 2004. 2. ARRL Article on California School Contact On December 23, ARRL ran an article on the Monroe Elementary School ARISS contact entitled, "ISS Commander Tells West Coast Youngsters He Believes Life Exists on Other Planets." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/23/1/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article Involving Astronaut Jim Voss ARRL ran a Web story about the effort involved in setting up an Amateur Radio station for the Gulf Coast Exploreum and Science Center's ISS exhibit in Mobile, Alabama entitled, "An Out of this World Effort." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/12/22/1/?nc=1 4. ARRL Article on the International Space Station ARRL ran an article entitled, "Santa Has Company in the Christmas Sky." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/22/2/?nc=1 5. ARRL Story on Ham Radio Payloads and High-Altitude Balloons ARRL ran an article about a program NASA-TV will air about Amateur Radio payloads and high altitude ballooning. Arizona Near Space Research (ANSR), whose goal is to promote science and education, noted that their program will air December 29 and 30. For more information, see: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. Packet Radio System Amateur Radio operators have been very active on the Packet Radio system (RS0ISS) on the International Space Station. Those that have communicated through the ISS using packet also qualify to receive a special certificate from the Roy Neal Commemorative event. The Roy Neal Commemorative event will continue until the end of 2003. ARISS Status December 20, 2004 1. ESA Ireland Contact Successful On Friday, December 17, the winners of the ESA sponsored educational competition met at the University College Cork in Ireland. The students had the opportunity to ask 10 questions of Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, while an audience of 300 students, teachers, and VIPs looked on. The contact was made via the telebridge station, VK5ZAI, in Australia, and the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP), and Echolink were successfully used for this event. Media coverage included the Irish national radio, TV, and some newspapers. The ARISS-Europe website has posted photos and audio of the event. Go to: The University College Cork's website has a write up on the contact. See: 2. Upcoming School Contacts The Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been scheduled for a contact. It will take place on Wednesday, December 22 at 15:12 UTC. Students from the 92º Grupo de Escoteiro Caio Viana Martins, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will also speak to Leroy Chiao. The contact has been scheduled for Monday, December 27, 2004 at 13:01 UTC. 3. Expedition 9 Crew Debriefing On Wednesday, December 15, Expedition 9 crew member Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered questions asked by Kenneth Ransom at JSC. Items covered included the Phase 1 and Phase 2 hardware, and school contacts. Mike had a very favorable impression of the ARISS program, was highly appreciative of all the ARISS volunteer support he received during his flight, and gave some suggestions for improvement. 4. ARRL Article on Ottawa School Contact The ARRL ran a web story covering the Manordale Public School contact in Ottawa, Ontario. The article entitled, "Prime Minister's Wife on Hand for ARISS School Group QSO," can be found at: 5. ARRL Working 3rd Party Issues for Future Contacts Rosalie White has been working with the ARRL General Counsel interpreting the Belgian telecommunications law to support future school contacts with the ARISS newly installed Belgian bridge station. With the recent World Radio Conference changes to the third party rules, it is not clear whether Belgium has a third party agreement with the U.S. to allow unlicensed students to talk on the radio. ARISS Status December 13, 2004 1. Manordale School Contact Successful Students from Manordale Public School in Ottawa, Ontario spoke to Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, on Thursday, December 9. Native Canadian children from Kujjuuauq in far north Quebec, were flown in by First Air to attend the event. (These students also have an ARISS contact planned for the future.) The children were able to have 13 questions answered by Chiao. Approximately 500 people attended the event, including the Canadian Prime Minister's wife, Mrs. Sheila Martin (who was thoroughly impressed), the former Defense Minister, David Pratt, officials from many agencies, and the School Board Directors and Trustees. The president of First Air, Bob Davis, also attended. Radio, TV and newspapers covered the event and it was broadcast on TV reaching an audience of 1 million. Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) was successfully used for this contact. From Ottawa, the audio was sent to Halifax, transferred to the internet, and on to reflectors. Because IRLP was used, several schools participating in the Radio Amateurs of Canada Youth Education Program heard the contact. The audio was also heard in Victoria, British Columbia, Calgary, Baltimore, Alexandria, and New York. Photos from the event can be found on the Manordale Public School website: http://www1.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/mandweb/SpaceContact/ After speaking to the students at Manordale, Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, got on the radio and made some general contacts. He was using the Region 2/3 public voice frequencies, and talked to New England, California, and Brazil. 2. Upcoming School Contacts Twice each year, ESA sponsors an educational competition among primary schools in one of the ISS European countries. The second competition of 2004 took place in Ireland. The winning school will experience an ARISS contact, via the telebridge station, VK5ZAI, on Friday, December 17, 2004 at 13:53 UTC. The Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been scheduled for a contact. It will take place on Wednesday, December 22 at 15:12 UTC. 3. ARISS White Paper Submitted ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer submitted a white paper in response to a Request For Information for defining NASA's "Strategic Roadmap" in the education and outreach fields. The white paper specifically addressed the ARISS program and how it touches the education community worldwide. 4. Expedition 9 Crew Debriefing The U.S. Expedition 9 crew debriefing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15 at 2 pm ET. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, will speak with Kenneth Ransom at JSC. The half hour session will allow the ARISS team to ask for recommendations on improving school contacts, and to ask technical questions concerning the radio systems. 5. ARRL Article on New York and Quebec Contacts The ARRL ran a web story on Leroy Chiao's contacts with Westhampton Beach and Sorel-Tracy schools. The article, "Space Chats Exhilarate Long Island, Quebec Schools," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/12/09/1/?nc=1 6. ARRL Article on ISS Food Supply An ARRL article was written concerning the food supply on board the ISS. Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and Salizhan Sharipov have been asked to cut their daily food intake until the next Progress arrives, in order to avoid a food shortage. To view, "NASA asks ISS crew to trim calories," see: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status November 29, 2004 1. New York Contact Successful On Wednesday, November 24, Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York had a successful contact with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. An audience of approximately 450 students, teachers, and parents gathered at the school and watched as students asked 24 questions of Chiao. Media coverage included the "Long Island Cablevision" news channel, which filmed the entire event, Newsday, and some local newspapers. The principal and staff of Westhampton Beach Elementary School, and the Peconic Amateur Radio Club (PARC), which assisted in the event, were extremely pleased with the contact, and are all looking forward to other schools in the area arranging ARISS contacts. Newsday ran an article on the contact entitled, "Chat gives kids long-distance charge." See: http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-lispac254054702nov25,0,5041454.story The Southampton Press also covered the event. A summary can be found under School News - Westhampton Beach. See: http://www.southamptonpress.com/schools.ihtml 2. Upcoming School Contacts Students from École secondaire Fernand-Lefebvre, Sorel-Tracy, in Quebec, Canada will speak to astronaut Leroy Chiao. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 30 at 16:17 UTC. Manordale Public School in Ottawa, Ontario has been scheduled for an ARISS contact. It will take place on Thursday, December 9 at 17:17 UTC. 3. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, November 23. Agenda items discussed included the Moon/Mars Initiative, funding for the Columbus Module, and the Russian SuitSat proposal. The next meeting will be held on December 21, 2004. ARISS Status November 22, 2004 1. Italy School Contact Successful On November 19, 2004, students from two elementary schools, San Giovanni Bosco and Gianni Rodari, and one middle school, Ponteo Sarnelli, all in southeast Italy, experienced a successful contact with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. Chiao answered 18 questions put to him while an audience of 600 students, parents and VIPs looked on. Several TV and radio stations as well as newspapers covered the event. Congratulations to Leroy and the ARISS team on a successful beginning for Expedition 10! 2. Upcoming School Contacts Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York has been scheduled for a contact with the ISS. It will take place on Wednesday, November 24 at 18:15 UTC. Students from École secondaire Fernand-Lefebvre, Sorel-Tracy, in Quebec, Canada will also speak to Leroy Chiao. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 30 at 16:17 UTC. 3. ARISS Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Minutes Posted ARISS delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, held the bimonthly Educational Outreach and School Selection Committee Teleconference on Thursday, November 11. The minutes have been posted to the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm#11%20November%202004 4. Foale Named as Administrator for Exploration Operations ARRL ran an article on Expedition 8 crew member Mike Foale, KB5UAC. O'Keefe has selected Foale for the position of an administrator for exploration operations. The article, "NASA names space veteran, ham as deputy for exploration operations," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 5. ARISS Team Thanks Expedition 9 Crew for a Job Well Done On Wednesday, November 17, Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, presented ARRL Field Day t-shirts and pins to Expedition 9 crew members, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, at an informal gathering of Increment 9 support staff at JSC. The crew was appreciative, and Mike said that he really enjoyed talking to many of the ham operators on Field Day. The ARISS Team told Gennady how much he was appreciated for talking on the 430 MHz band. ARISS Status November 15, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Three schools will participate in a joint contact with the ISS. Students from two elementary schools, San Giovanni Bosco and Gianni Rodari, and Ponteo Sarnelli Middle School in Sud Italy, will have the opportunity to speak with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, on November 19, 2004 at 14:36 UTC. Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York has also been scheduled for a contact with the ISS. It will take place on Wednesday, November 24 at 18:18 UTC. 2. ARISS International Meeting Minutes The minutes from the ARISS International Meeting are now available on the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissmin.htm and select minutes from the Arlington, Virginia meeting. 3. New Astronauts Licensed On November 12, astronauts (and one astronaut spouse) from the latest candidate class took and passed their amateur radio exams. Naoko Yamazaki, and her husband, Taichi Yamazaki, Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger, Richard R. Arnold II, Satoshi Furukawa, Jose M. Hernandez, and Joseph M. Acaba are among the newest members of the ham community. Congratulations to all! 4. QST Article on ARISS Meeting The December issue of ARRL's QST magazine contained an article about the ARISS International Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia in October. Photographs accompanied the story including one of ARISS members Sergey Samburov, RV3DR and Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, as they made contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, onboard the ISS. QST magazine is distributed to 160,000 ARRL members. 5. ARISS Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Held ARISS delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, held the bimonthly Educational Outreach and School Selection Committee Teleconference on Thursday, November 11. Minutes will soon be posted to the ARISS website. ARISS Status November 8, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Scheduling continues for ARISS school contacts with the Expedition 10 crew. The first contact will tentatively take place the week of November 15. 2. ARISS International Meeting Minutes and Presentations Posted The minutes, agenda and presentations from the ARISS International Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia in October have been posted to the ARISS section of the AMSAT website. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Meetings/Arlington2004/ 3. Hardware Purchases The ARISS U.S. team is working to procure four Kenwood VC-H1 slow-scan television converters. The hardware will be used for training and development. 4. ARRL Article on the Fourth Anniversary of ARISS The ARRL ran an article on the past four years of ARISS on the ISS entitled, "Permanent ISS Amateur Radio Station, Human Crews Share Fourth Anniversary." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/11/04/2/?nc=1 ARISS Status November 1, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts ARISS school contacts continue to be scheduled for the Expedition 10 crew. The first contact will tentatively take place the second week of November; however, no specific information is available at this time. 2. Fincke Makes Last Contacts from Space On Saturday, October 23, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, made his last few contacts from space before leaving the ISS. He talked to a few people over North America before returning home with Gennady Padalka and Yuri Shargin, landing safely in Kazakhstan on October 24. 3. ARRL Article on ISS Crews The ARRL ran a web story on the crew transition that took place on the ISS. The story, "Expedition 9 Crew Back on Earth; Expedition 10 Enjoying Short Respite," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/26/4/?nc=1 4. ARISS International Meeting Presentations The presentations given at the ARISS International Meeting held on October 10 - 12, are being compiled, and will soon be posted, along with the minutes, to the ARISS section of the AMSAT server. 5. PCSAT2 to Fly in May, 2005 The shuttle is expected to return to flight in May 2005. When launched, STS-114 will carry the external ARISS payload, PCSAT2. This will be carried on the backside of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE5), and will include 3 transponders - APRS Packet, FM Voice, and 10m PSK-31. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, principal investigator, has a website detailing this project. "PCSAT2 - External ISS Experiment in the Amateur Satellite Service" can be found at: http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat2.html ARISS Status October 25, 2004 1. Pori, Finland Contact Successful Students from Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High Shool, in Pori, Finland, spoke to taxi flight cosmonaut, Yuri Shargin, on October 19. They were able to ask 12 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Students, teachers and members of the media, including radio, TV and newspapers, attended the event. ARISS delegate Gaston Bertels covered the contact in an article which is posted on the ARISS Europe website. "Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin Answers Questions of Finnish High School Students" can be found at: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_20.htm Another article, "Pori pupils talk with crew-member on the International Space Station," can be found on the Helsingin Sanomat International Edition - Home website. See: http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/article/1076154287014 2. Zonnebloem Contact Successful On October 22, the Science Exhibition in Hasselt, Belgium welcomed guest students from the Zonnebloem (Turnsole) Primary School. At 08:38 UTC, Yuri Shargin, using the callsign RS0ISS, answered 13 questions put to him by the students via the telebridge station ON4ISS. This was the first time this telebridge station, operated by Philippe van Houte , ON5PV, has been used for a school contact. Approximately one hundred students and teachers, as well as radio and television stations, and two newspapers attended the event. An article on the contact, including a photo and a link to the audio is posted on the ARISS-Europe website. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_22.htm 3. Gdynia Contact Article Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie High School, one of the schools that took part in the Gdynia, Poland contact, posted an article and photos on its website covering the event. The story is written in Polish. See: http://www.gla.edu.pl/aktualnosci/?show_article=115 4. ARRL Article on New Russian Satellite Proposal The ARRL ran a web story on the new satellite, which has been proposed by the Russians, and conveyed to AMSAT and ARISS by ARISS Russia delegate Sergey Samburov, RV3DR. The satellite is to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. A spacesuit is to be used to house amateur radio equipment including slow scan television (SSTV). The article, "ARISS International Delegates Ponder "SuitSat" Possibilities," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/19/1/?nc=1 5. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, Speaks to W5RRR JSC ran an article on Mike Fincke's contact with the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club (JSCARC), W5RRR. Mike thanked the group for his amateur radio training and let them know of the importance ham radio has played for him on the ISS. A link to a partial audio of the contact can be found on the site. "Amateur radio club talks with Mike Fincke," is located at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/articles/000000282.html 6. ARRL Covers New Crew on ISS On October 18, the ARRL ran an article on the successful docking of the Soyuz 9 with the ISS and of the Expedition 10 crew joining Expedition 9. The story, entitled, "Three hams now in space with arrival of Expedition 10 crew on ISS," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 7. Debrief Questions Compiled Debrief questions for the Expedition 9 crew have been compiled and uplinked to Mike Fincke. Mike will review these questions while on orbit so that he can check on the ARISS hardware status, time permitting. 8. ARRL Article on Expedition 10 Crew Taking Command of the ISS The ARRL ran a web story on the Expedition 10 crew, Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and ISS Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, taking the reins of the ISS, as Expedition 9 crew, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, ready themselves for departure. The article also covers Mike's last contacts with Montaud, France, and Gdynia, Poland, as well as the Pori, Finland and Hasselt, Belgium contacts with Yuri Shargin. The article, entitled, "Expedition 9 Crew Ready to Leave; Expedition 10 Commander Ready to Vote," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/22/3/?nc=1 ARISS Status October 18, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High Shool, in Pori, Finland has been scheduled for an ARISS contact with taxi flight cosmonaut, Yuri Shargin. It will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 07:13 UTC. Questions planned for the contact can be found on the ARISS Europe website. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_13.htm A second ARISS contact has been scheduled with Yuri Shargin. He will speak with students at the Space Expo in Hasselt, Belgium on October 22, 2004 at 08:38 UTC via the telebridge station ON4ISS. Shargin will use the callsign RS0ISS. 2. AMSAT and ARISS International Meetings Held The AMSAT and ARISS joint meetings were held October 8 -12 in Arlington, Virginia. ARISS U.S. member Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, made a contact with astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, who congratulated AMSAT on its 35th anniversary. ARRL covered the event in an article, "Greeting from Space, Change of Guard Highlight AMSAT-NA Gathering." A link to the audio of the contact is included in the story. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/11/1/?nc=1 3. New Satellite Proposed by Russians During the AMSAT/ARISS meetings, ARISS Russia member Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, gave presentations on a new satellite proposed by the Russians. The satellite is to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. A spacesuit is to be used to house amateur radio equipment including slow scan television (SSTV). Because the satellite will be launched in October 2005, and time is limited, the satellite will be simplistic in nature. If this approach works, another, more complex spacesuit satellite will be launched in 2007, commemorating 50 years since the launch of the first satellite. See "Russia Proposes SuitSAT" at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/updates/ 4. ARRL Article on Expedition 10 Crew The ARRL ran a web story on the new crew headed for the ISS. The article, entitled, "Expedition 10 heads to ISS; space station ham gear in repeater mode" can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status October 11, 2004 1. Gdynia Schools Contact Successful Three schools from Poland, Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk experienced a successful ISS contact on Wednesday, October 6. The two high schools participate in ZNEK, a space educational program. The Gdynia Maritime Academy offers degrees in marine studies. It also has a hamradio club, "Schooner," SP2ZIE, which was used as the ground station for this event. Approximately 40 people witnessed the contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, from the radio room, including students, teachers, and radio and TV personnel. Amateur television was set up in another room so that an audience of an additional 100 people could observe this event. See:http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_06.htm 2. Upcoming School Contact Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High school, in Pori, Finland has been scheduled for an ARISS contact. It will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 07:14 UTC. 3. ARISS International Meeting AMSAT held its symposium and annual meeting on October 8 - 10. The ARISS International Meeting begins today, Monday, October 11. The meetings are being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. A summary of the presentations given at the AMSAT meeting and a photo gallery can be found on AMSAT's website. A panel of ARISS delegates gave a presentation on current ARISS activities during the AMSAT meeting. See "ARISS - 2004 Status Report" at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/updates/ 4. ARRL Article on ISS Voice Repeater Usage Emily Clarke, W0EEC, an AMSAT and ARRL member, wrote an article on how to successfully use the ISS voice repeater. The ARRL ran her story, entitled, "Success Tips for Using the ISS Voice Repeater." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/10/06/1/?nc=1 The Kenwood radio is currently in repeater mode and is expected to remain in this mode through October 16. 5. ARRL Article on AMSAT/ARISS Joint Meetings The ARRL ran a web story on the meetings currently being held in Arlington, Virginia. Astronaut Carl Walz was the keynote speaker at the AMSAT dinner. The article, "AMSAT Symposium to feature ISS astronaut as banquet speaker," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ISS Congratulates SpaceShipOne The ARRL ran a web story about Mike Fincke sending congratulations to SpaceShipOne on winning the X Prize entitled, "Short-Term Expedition 9 Crew Congratulates SpaceShipOne Success." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/05/4/?nc=1 7. NEEIS Forms Submitted ARISS U.S. Delegate Rosalie White has been working with mentors to have teachers submit their post ARISS contact information. The NASA Education Evaluation Information System (NEEIS) forms were to be submitted before the end of the fiscal year. Rosalie has reviewed the NEEIS forms and has determined the changes needed to clean up and finalize the data. ARISS Status October 4, 2004 1. Montaud School Contact Successful Montaud, France is a small village located in the French Alps with a population of 450. The Primary School of Montaud has an enrollment of 65 students, ages 3 - 12. The Montaud students experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Thursday, September 30. The village is located in a mountainous region, with hills on the horizon, making a satellite contact difficult. An amateur radio operator, Guy Sauer, F5GJJ, who lives 5 kilometers from the school in a more optimal location, set up an amateur television (ATV) and radio link between his station and the school, making the contact with the ISS possible. Thirteen students were given the opportunity to ask the astronaut questions. Teachers, parents, 2 newspaper reporters, and 20 representatives from TV and radio stations attended the event. More information can be found on the ARISS Europe website at: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_09_30.htm 2. Upcoming School Contact Two Polish high schools and a university will share an ARISS contact. All three schools are located in the Pomorskie Province of Poland. Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk are scheduled to speak to the ISS on Wednesday, October 6 at 11:55 UTC. 3. Crew Unavailable for Marina Air Fair Mike Fincke had expressed interest in a contact with the Marina Air Fair in Marina, California on October 16. Because of the change in launch and docking times of Expedition 10's Soyuz flight, the crew will be unavailable to participate in a contact on this date. 4. ARRL Article on Investigator Contact The Kenwood radio was used for school operations for the first time during the Investigator Science and Technology Centre contact. It was also the first time that the IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) nodes were used. It is hoped that the IRLP may be used in the future to make ARISS contacts available to a wider audience. The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ARISS Logs Two "Firsts" in Australian School Contact." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/30/1/?nc=1 5. ARRL Article on Repeater Mode The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ISS Amateur Radio gear in repeater mode until September 30." See: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARISS International Meeting The joint AMSAT/ARISS meetings are fast approaching. The AMSAT Symposium kicks off this Friday, October 8 at 1 pm. The ARISS International Meetings begin on Monday, October 11. They will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. To view the agendas, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/agenda2004.php 7. Russian Ham Pass at Moscow Festival The Union of the Radio Amateurs of Russia (SRR) requested a ham radio contact with the Expedition 9 crew on October 2. The Union of the Radio Amateurs of Russia, the Russian Robinson Club and the RUSSIAN-IOTA participated in a large international festival near Moscow. More than 350 amateur radio operators from Russia, Germanium, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and USA took part in the festival. A special radio station with the special call sign, R73SRR, was used. ARISS Russia delegate Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, and some cosmonauts were invited to take part in the festival and to assist in organizing a contact with the ISS crew. 8. NEEIS Forms Submitted ARISS U.S. Delegate Rosalie White has been working with mentors to have teachers, who were involved with an astronaut contact, submit their post ARISS contact information. The NASA Education Evaluation Information System (NEEIS) forms were to be submitted before the end of the fiscal year. ARISS Status September 27, 2004 1. Investigator Centre Contact Successful The Investigator Science and Technology Centre in Adelaide, Australia, a non-profit center that provides educational programs to schools, welcomed Kilburn Primary School to participate in a contact with the ISS. Kilburn has an enrollment of approximately 130 students. About 20% of the students are Aboriginal and 25% are from non-English speaking backgrounds. The school focuses on Literacy, Numeracy, ICT and a Supportive School Environment, and many of the students have significant learning needs. On September 23, Kilburn's fifth and sixth graders had the opportunity to speak with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, via the telebridge station, WH6PN, in Hawaii. Students posed thirteen questions to Fincke, as an audience of sixty people looked on. The event was covered by the media, which included ABC radio (Australia's national radio system), University Radio, a local FM station, and a newspaper. An article will also be published in the State Educational Journal for teachers. Mike Fincke used the Kenwood radio to speak to the children of Kilburn. This was the first time the Phase 2 hardware was used for school operations, and because this contact was successful, the ARISS team plans to use the Kenwood radio for the remaining contacts of Expedition 9. After the contact, the radio was placed in repeater mode, and will remain in this mode until the next school contact scheduled for September 30. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The Primary School of Montaud in Montaud, France has been scheduled for a contact with Mike Fincke. It is planned for September 30 at 1158 UTC. Two Poland high schools and a university will share an ARISS contact. All three schools are located in the Pomorskie Province. Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk are scheduled to speak to the ISS on Wednesday, October 6 at 11:55 UTC. 3. Marina Air Fair Contact Mike has expressed interest in a contact with the Marina Air Fair in Marina, California. This event will take place on Saturday, October 16. 4. ARRL Article on the Aoyama School and ESA ESOC Contacts The ARRL ran a web story on two recent ARISS contacts. Links to the audio of both the Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School and "Long Night of the Stars" ESA ESOC contacts may be found on their website. See: "Astronaut Thrills Audiences in Japan, Germany via Amateur Radio," at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/23/2/?nc=1 5. ESA ESOC "Long Night of the Stars" On September 18, an open house known as "Long Night of the Stars," was held at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany. The highlight of the evening was the contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on board the International Space Station. There was wide media coverage including newspapers, magazines, news agencies, the Hessen TV station, and several radio stations. Over 120,000 people listened in on the contact. ESA ran an article on the event entitled, "Sell-out crowd wowed by ESOC's Long Night of the Stars," and can be found at: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMIP61XDYD_0.html The ARISS-Europe website also posted a story on the gala with a link to the audio of the contact. See: "ASTRONAUT MIKE FINCKE PARTICIPATES TO THE "LONG NIGHT OF THE STARS," at http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_09_20.htm 6. ARISS International Meeting The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, September 21. The main item discussed was the agenda for the face to face meeting scheduled for next month. The AMSAT/ARISS meetings will be held on October 8 - 13 in Arlington, VA. To view the agenda, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/agenda2004.php 7. ARRL Posts ARISS News on LM_Net The LM_NET list is a school Library Media listserv for school library media specialists and people involved in the school library media field. The ARRL PR Committee now posts news items to this listserv whenever an ARISS radio contact is scheduled in the USA during school hours. ARISS Status September 6, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Kingston Community School in Kingston SE, South Australia has been scheduled for an ARISS contact via the telebridge station, NN1SS. It will take place on Friday, September 10, at 0752 UTC. Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School in Tokyo, Japan will also experience a contact with the ISS. It has been scheduled for Friday, September 17, at 17:07 UTC. 2. ARRL Article on Pennsylvania School Contact The ARRL ran a web story on the August 27 Upper St. Clair High School contact. The article provides a link to an audio of the contact. See "Life in Space Fun, Challenging, Astronaut Tells Pennsylvania Students," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/03/1/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article on New Kenwood Mode The ARISS team successfully tested the Kenwood repeater mode during an ISS pass on Saturday, August 28. The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ARISS Puts ISS Phase 2 Equipment to Use as FM "EasySat"." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/30/1/?nc=1 4. ARISS Radios Cycled The ARISS radio systems were turned off on September 2 at 1700 UTC in preparation of Expedition 9's fourth EVA. The spacewalk began on Friday, September 3 at 1650 UTC, and ended 5 hours and 21 minutes later. The crew turned on the radios before the end of the day, which was earlier than anticipated, and the radio is now in packet mode. 5. ARISS Photos Displayed at Japan's Hamfest JAIA Ham Fair, Japan's largest hamfest, was held at Tokyo's Big Sight International Convention Center on August 21 -22. Manufacturers and dealers, as well as 170 radio clubs, all had exhibit booths at this event. The ARISS U.S. team provided photographs of the ARISS radio equipment in the Service Module to Hiroto Watarikawa, JJ1LYU. A modified Kenwood D700E, which looks like the flight radio, and the ARISS supplied photos were used as part of an exhibit in the Kenwood Booth. More than 30,000 people attended the event. 6. Mike Fincke May Participate in Upcoming Events Mike Fincke has expressed interest in participating in two upcoming events. The first event, "The Long Night of the Stars," is an open house at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, which will be held on Saturday, September 18. The second event is the Marina Air Fair which will be held in Marina,California on Saturday, October 16. Should he decide to do so, Mike's participation in these events will be handled as informal dialog, similar to that of Field Day. 7. ARRL Sponsors Teachers Institute ARRL sponsored its first Education and Technology Program (ETP) Teachers Institute the second week of August. Mark Spencer involved the participating teachers in hands-on activities for integrating wireless technology, Amateur Radio, ARISS and other space-related activities into math and science classrooms. By the end of the week, the teachers had enjoyed themselves so much, that they said they weren't ready to go home. See ARRL's article, "First "Big Project" Teachers Institute Under Way," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/10/1/?nc=1 ARISS Status August 30, 2004 1. Upper St. Clair School Contact Successful On Friday, August 27, at 13:45 UTC, Upper St. Clair High School in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania experienced a successful contact with the ISS. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered nine questions posed to him by the students while a crowd looked on. Fifteen questions had been prepared by a group of 8 boys and 7 girls, which included representatives from the high school and both Fort Couch and Boyce Middle Schools, as well as one fourth grader from Eisenhower Elementary School. The 15 students will serve as ARISS ambassadors for their respective schools when school reopens on Monday, August 30. Several newspapers and cable TV stations covered the event. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article entitled, "Upper St. Clair students spend a minute talking to orbiting space station astronaut." See: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04241/369239.stm 2. Upcoming School Contact Kingston Community School in Kingston SE, South Australia has been scheduled for an ARISS contact via the telebridge station, NN1SS. It will take place on Friday, September 10, at 0752 UTC. 3. Engineering Tests Successful The ARISS team successfully tested the Kenwood repeater mode during an ISS pass on Saturday, August 28. The amateur radio equipment aboard the International Space Station is now operating in cross-band repeater mode, and got a workout by the ham community over the weekend. The downlink for this operating mode is 145.80 MHz and the new uplink frequency is 437.80 MHz. All frequencies are subject to Doppler shifting. 4. ARISS Radios to be Cycled The ARISS radio systems will be turned off on September 2 at 1645 UTC in preparation of a 6 hour EVA, which is scheduled for Friday, September 3 at 1650 UTC. The radios are expected to be powered on again on September 4. 5. Mike Fincke May Participate in Upcoming Events Mike Fincke has expressed interest in participating in two upcoming events. The first event, "The Long Night of the Stars," is an open house at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, which will be held on Saturday, September 18. The second is an Air Show to be held in Marina Air Faire, Marina, California on Saturday, October 16. Should he decide to do so, Mike's participation in these events will be handled as informal dialog, similar to that of Field Day. ARISS Status August 23, 2004 1. Illinois School Contact Successful Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, Illinois experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Monday, August 16, at 1805 UTC. Fourteen year old Roxie Able, KC9CSV, was on the microphone using W9AML, and Grant Zehr, AA9LC, acted as the control operator. Mike answered thirteen questions put to him by the students. Two TV stations, one radio station, and several newspapers attended the event. The ARRL ran a web story on the contact. "Astronaut Tells Youngsters He's Craving Fried Chicken," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/19/3/?nc=1 This site also provides a link to the audio of the contact. Another article was run on Bloomington's Pantagraph site. See "Long-distance chat," at: http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/081704/new_20040817006.shtml 2. Upcoming School Contact Upper St. Clair High School in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania has been scheduled for a contact with the ISS on Friday, August 27 at 13:46 UTC. This school is a crew pick of Mike Fincke's. 3. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, August 17. Agenda items discussed included the AMSAT/ARISS joint meetings to be held on October 8 - 13 in Arlington, Virginia. A roundtable panel discussion for ARISS participants as part of the AMSAT meeting is planned. Kenneth Ransom proposed that an ARISS special event be held during the December/January timeframe similar to the Field Day activity held in the U.S. in June, but with international participation. Such an event would not only be enjoyed by ham radio operators, but would also be a boost to the crew's spirits during the holiday season. ARISS Delegate Gaston Bertels is working with ESTEC's ISS Utilization Service to see how they are interfacing with the NASA Headquarters Education Office regarding the possibility of setting up a yearly activity for Dutch schools relating to space. This would be funded by the Dutch government. Gaston is working to have ARISS included in the planning. This yearly event in the Netherlands would culminate in a school contact with the ISS. 4. AMSAT/ARISS Planning Meeting Held A planning meeting for the AMSAT Symposium and ARISS International Delegate meeting was held on Saturday, August 21. Carl Walz has agreed to be the AMSAT banquet speaker. Carl was involved in the installation of some of the antennas on the Service Module and will discuss NASA's Vision for Space Exploration as part of his talk. 5. ARISS QSL Cards of Note The ARRL received a request for a radio contact confirmation card (called a QSL card) from a sight-impaired ham radio operator. Mark Spencer met the request by using ARRL's Brailler machine to fill out the ARISS QSL card. Another ham radio operator wrote on his QSL card: "Although I've been a ham operator for 36 years, this radio contact with the ISS got me more excited than I've been about ham radio in some time." ARISS Status August 9, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Two Tennessee schools, Good Shepherd School in Decherd and St Paul's in Tullahoma, will share an ARISS contact. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 1340 UTC, and will take place from St. Paul's. Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, Illinois has also been scheduled for a contact. It has been planned for Monday, August 16, at 1805 UTC. 2. ARRL Article on Habikino Contact The ARRL ran a web story on the ARISS contact between Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and The Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino. The article, "Microgravity Complicates Haircuts in Space, Astronaut Tells Students," may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/05/2/?nc=1 3. Astronaut Passes Amateur Radio Exam During the last week of July, ESA Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang received training from Nick Lance and Kenneth Ransom at JSC to prepare him for his Amateur Radio License exam. On Thursday, August 5, he took and passed the test, enabling him to participate in the ARISS Program. Fuglesang has been assigned as a Mission Specialist to the crew of STS-116, an assembly and crew-rotation mission to the ISS. 4. Astronaut Requests QSL Cards Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, made a request for a few QSL cards to be scanned and sent up to him after his 36 contacts last weekend. The ARRL staff reviewed the confirmation cards they received from the ham radio operators who had made contacts with the Expedition 9 crew. Three interesting ones were selected to forward to the crew. 5. Astronaut Tony England, W0ORE, Honored The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) honored Tony England, W0ORE, by presenting him with the 2004 IEEE Judith A. Resnick Award. England was very active early on in promoting SAREX among children to pique their interest in math and science. See ARRL's article, " IEEE honors Tony England, W0ORE," at: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARRL Article on Expedition 9 EVA The ARRL ran an article on the August 3 EVA. ARISS radio systems were turned off prior to the space walk, and were turned on again on August 4. See: "ISS crew completes space walk," at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status August 2, 2004 1. Habikino School Contact Successful The Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino in Habikino, Japan experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Thursday, July 29 at 11:55 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, speaking in English and Japanese, answered 16 questions put to him by fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School, as an audience of 70 children and 300 adults looked on. One TV station and 2 newspapers covered the event. 2. Russian Contact Successful The aerospace festival "Let's Give the Planet to the Kids" is being held from July 15 through August 4, at ARTEK International Children's' Center. The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, UNESCO's Deputy Director General, Mr. Barboza, members of diplomatic corps from over 20 countries, and other high-ranking dignitaries were invited to the gala concert, which was scheduled for July 30. During this event, a HAM radio contact was scheduled with Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and cosmonaut Anatoly Artsebarsky, callsign - Ulyana-7-MIR [?7???]) at 16:50 UTC. 3. Upcoming School Contact Two Tennessee schools, Good Shepherd School in Decherd and St Paul's in Tullahoma, will share an ARISS contact. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 1340 UTC, and will take place from St. Paul's. 4. Mike Fincke Makes Random Contacts Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, has been enjoying himself on the ARISS radio systems. In addition to his participation in Field Day, he has made many general contacts. He has been most active on the weekends, including this past weekend, July 31 - August 1, when he made over 30 contacts to 5 continents. ARRL ran an article on the Expedition 9 crew members and their time on the air. See "ISS crew schedule tight for casual hamming," at: http://www.arrl.org/?news_list_off=15 5. ARISS Team sends Photos to Japan for Exhibit The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) will sponsor a Ham Fair 2004 on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 - 22 at Tokyo Big Site, Japan. The ARISS U.S. team provided photographs of the ARISS radio equipment in the Service Module to Hiroto Watarikawa, JJ1LYU. Hiroto will display a modified Kenwood D700E, which looks like the flight radio, and will use the photos for a slide show on a personal computer as part of an exhibit in the Kenwood Booth. An attendance of 28,000 people is expected at the event. 6. ARISS Radio Systems to be Cycled for EVA In preparation of the EVA, scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, the amateur radios on board the ISS are scheduled to be cycled off at 0850 UTC on Aug 2. They will be turned on again on Aug 4 at 0850 UTC. 7. ARISS Acquires Amateur Radios for Training A Yaesu FT-100D amateur radio is currently being qualified for flight as part of the ARISS Phase 2 Hardware. The ARISS U.S. team has recently acquired six of these transceivers and associated tuners. These will be used for training, crew procedure development and testing. 8. Coordinating Teacher of First ARISS Contact Receives Second License Rita Wright, KC9CDL, recently earned her General Class license. Rita is an 8th grade science and math teacher from Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois, whose school experienced the first ARISS radio contact with Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, on December 21, 2000. She still uses radio and NASA material in her classroom and pursued her second license in order to help her students progress even further in science. ARISS Status July 26, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contact An ARISS contact has been scheduled for the Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino, Japan. On Thursday, July 29 at 11:55 UTC, fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Mike may answer the questions in Japanese. 2. Kenwood D700 Engineering Tests Successful The ARISS U.S. Team successfully completed a comprehensive checkout pass on Thursday, July 22 with Astronaut Mike Finke, KE5AIT. Utilizing ground stations in Greenbelt, Maryland, Orlando, Florida and Houston, Texas and linking team members in Kansas, Colorado, Maryland, Florida and Texas, the ARISS USA team performed voice and packet radio uplink tests to fully validate the Kenwood D700 system for future school group operations. In the near future, the Expedition 9 crew will set up the Kenwood to allow a checkout of the repeater mode, which will conclude testing of this portion of the Phase 2 Hardware. ARRL's web story covers the tests in, "ARISS US Team Completes Phase II Equipment Checkout." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/23/6/?nc=1 3. ARISS International Meeting An ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, July 20. Agenda items discussed included the Joint AMSAT - ARISS Meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia on October 8 -13. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer asked the delegates to provide short status reports for each region. The reports would be compiled and presented at the AMSAT portion of the meeting. Also during the AMSAT meeting will be time for a panel of ARISS delegates to provide highlights of their regions, and then be available for a question and answer session afterwards. 4. ARRL Article on Meizen School Contact ARRL ran a web story on the Meizen High School contact in Japan entitled, "'We Need to Work Together,' Astronaut Tells Students in Japan." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/22/2/?nc=1 5. Nick Lance Receives Educator of the Year Award The ARRL held its Board of Directors meeting on Friday and Saturday, July 16-17, and presented awards to those who exhibited excellence in their respective areas over the past year. ARISS member, Nick Lance, KC5KBO, who not only worked with youth on ARISS studies, but also tutored Aerospace Education Specialists and ISS crew members, received the 2003 ARRL Professional Educator of the Year Award. See the web story, "ARRL Board Names Award Winners" at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/22/1/?nc=1 6. MCI Relays News of Space Camp Turkey Contact On July 23, MCI's employee news digest mentioned the ISS contact with Space Camp Turkey. The space camp was linked to the ISS via an MCI-donated telephone bridge. The news item referenced ARRL's July 16 Newsletter as the source. ARISS Status July 19, 2004 1. Meizen School Contact Successful Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Tuesday, July 13. Seventeen students (10 elementary, 3 junior high and 4 high school students) prepared 29 questions for the contact. They were able to ask 17 questions and Mike surprised the audience of 50 elementary, 20 junior high, and 250 high school students as well as 80 parents, when he answered the questions in both English and Japanese. Also attending the event were six TV stations, including NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), and 5 newspapers. Osamu Nakamura, NH7TA, a student of Meizen High School, was the control operator during this contact. He received his FCC license last November specifically for this event. All preparations for this contact were made by the Meizen High School students themselves - this was a first for Japan, and a very successful event for all! 2. Upcoming School Contact An ARISS contact has been scheduled for the Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino, Japan. On Thursday, July 29 at 11:49 UTC, fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Mike may answer the questions in Japanese. 3. Expedition 9 Video to Japan Astronaut Mike Fincke, requested that a video be sent to Habikino prior to its scheduled contact on July 29. The video, "Expedition 9 Tour," gives students a tour of the Space Station. Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka both participate in the video, giving students answers to commonly asked questions such as "How do you eat and drink in space?" and "How do you use the bathroom in space?" The video is very well done and will make a nice addition to the ARISS contact for the students. A CD of the video was sent to Japan ARISS representative, Satoshi Yasuda, and it has been uploaded to the ARISS section of the AMSAT server. Please see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Video/ 4. ARISS Team Prepares for Tests at GSFC Engineering tests have been scheduled for the Kenwood D700 Phase 2 hardware. The checkout pass over Goddard Space Flight Center is scheduled for Thursday, July 22 at 20:33 UTC. ARISS team members have been gathering at Goddard Space Flight Center to prepare for the 10 minute pass. A dry run was held Tuesday, July 13 with GSFC ARISS members, and a final dry run will be held Tuesday, July 20 at 3 pm with all ARISS members who will be involved in the Thursday Phase 2 hardware tests. 5. ARRL Board of Directors Meeting The ARRL Board of Directors held a meeting Friday and Saturday, July 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. Rosalie White presented the ARISS report given at the meeting. 6. Gilmour Academy Contact Leads to New Hams Inspired by the ARISS Program, members of the Gilmour Academy community in Gates Mills, Ohio went on to earn their Amateur Radio licenses. Two students, Jess Noeth, KD8ACJ, and Britt Mawby, KD8ACL, as well as parent David Noeth, KD8ACO (Jess' dad) earned their callsigns after experiencing an ARISS contact with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on January 2, 2004. Congratulations to all! ARISS Status July 12, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contact Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, is scheduled for an ARISS contact on Tuesday, July 13, at 1031 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, may answer the students' questions in Japanese. 2. Independence Day Contacts Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, was active on the ARISS radio system on the Fourth of July. He logged eight contacts with stations in Canada, the U.S. and Costa Rica. Fincke said that he enjoyed Field Day so much that he would like to get on the radio more often. ARRL ran an article entitled, "Field Day Fun Leads to ISS Ragchews." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/06/100/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article on Space Camp Turkey On July 7, the ARRL ran a web story on the Space Camp Turkey contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The article, entitled, "Space Camp Turkey," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/07/102/?nc=1 4. Engineering Tests Scheduled Voice tests have been scheduled for the Kenwood D700 Phase 2 hardware. The checkout pass over Goddard Space Flight Center is scheduled for July 22 at 20:33 UTC. After the tests, Mike Fincke will set the default frequency for packet, and will set the power setting to high where it will remain until his next voice contact. 5. ARISS School Committee Meeting Held The Educational Outreach/ School Selection Committee Meeting was held Thursday, July 8, 2004. Minutes will be posted to the ARISS website in the near future. 6. Ham Demonstration at Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum The ARRL shipped items to ham radio operators who will set up a demo station next weekend at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapokoneta, Ohio. A 35th anniversary event is being held to honor Armstrong's steps on the moon. 7. October Taxi Flight Dr. Gregory Olsen, who was slated to be the third space tourist to visit the ISS, will not fly due to problems encountered during a medical exam. A cosmonaut will be taking his place on the taxi flight in October, 2004. 8. Space Symposium Tips Some items to consider while making plans to attend the AMSAT-ARISS Joint Meetings in October have been posted to the AMSAT website. See "Space Symposium travel tips," at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/ ARISS Status July 5, 2004 1. Tulsa Contact Postponed, Radios Cycled off For EVA The scheduling of the second EVA attempt to repair the CMG conflicted with the ARISS contact with Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was slated for Friday, July 2, 2004. The Tulsa contact will be rescheduled at a future time. ARISS radio systems were cycled off on June 29 in preparation for the EVA, and were turned on again July 1. ARRL covered the event in the web story, "Repair Spacewalk Trumps ARISS School Group QSO." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/01/3/?nc=1 2. Space Camp Turkey Contact Successful Space Camp Turkey, located in Izmir, Turkey, is holding a Partner School Project Week from July 4-10, 2004. The purpose of this week is to promote friendship and cooperation, through space education activities, among the students who come from several different countries including Turkey, Greece, Israel, and the U.S. One hundred thirty students, ages 12-16, are attending this week and several had the opportunity to talk to the ISS crew on Monday, July 5 at 0825 UTC via the telebridge station WH6PN. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 15 questions put to him by the campers. A recording of the contact can be found at http://www.ariss-eu.org/Izmir_05JUL2004.mp3 3. Upcoming School Contact Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, has been scheduled for an ARISS contact on Tuesday, July 13, at 1031 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, who is fluent in Japanese, may delight the students by answering their questions in Japanese. 4. ARRL Article on Field Day Event On June 29, the ARRL ran an article on the Field Day Activities held over the June 26 - 27 weekend. The story, 'ISS crew pleases Field Day crowd with ham radio "first",' can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/29/1/?nc=1 5. AMSAT Website Revised AMSAT's website has a new look. The Space Symposium Registration notice is prominent on AMSAT's home page, and the information available for the joint AMSAT-ARISS meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia, on October 8 - 13, as well as the agenda, may be found at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/ 6. Engineering Tests Engineering tests are being scheduled for the Kenwood D700. Kenneth Ransom has submitted procedures for the repeater check out, and has also submitted pass time options for the voice tests. 7. Girl Scout Ham to Introduce Amateur Radio and ARISS to Other Scouts ARRL's Rosalie White provided lithographs and information to be used at a multi-state Girl Scout camporee in rural Minnesota. A high school Girl Scout, who is also an Amateur Radio operator, is setting up several ham radio stations there with the support of local female ham radio operators. She plans to introduce 2,000 Girl Scouts to Amateur Radio and to tell interested viewers about ARISS. ARISS Status June 28, 2004 1. Upcoming Schools An ARISS contact has been scheduled for Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday, July 2, 2004 at 13:41 UTC. The m has set up their Amateur Radio station with the Space Colonization Exhibit, and on the day of the contact, the children, from grades 1 - 9, will be able to speak with one of the first space colonists. Space Camp Turkey, located in Izmir, Turkey, will also experience a contact with the ISS on Monday, July 5 at 0821 UTC via the telebridge station WH6PN. This is the second contact for this camp whose students come from several different countries including Turkey, Greece, Israel, and the U.S. To join this event, go to: https://e-meetings.mci.com CONFERENCE NUMBER: 5249702 PASSCODE: SPACE STATIO 2. Mike Fincke Announces Birth of Daughter via ARISS Radio System Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and his wife Renita became parents again on Friday, June 18. On Saturday, Mike announced the birth of his new daughter via the ISS Packet radio system's beacon which read, "It's a girl! Tarali Fincke," and was being sent approximately once per minute as the ISS traveled around the world. For more information, see ARRL's article, "Astronaut Radios Birth Announcement, Celebrates Special Father's Day in Space," at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/22/2/?nc=1 Congratulations Mike and Renita! 3. Amateur Radios Cycled for EVA The ARISS radio systems were turned off on June 23, in preparation for the EVA to repair the CMG. They were turned on again, on June 25, after the EVA attempt, and will be cycled off prior to the next CMG EVA attempt, which may take place on Wednesday, June 30. 4. ARRL Field Day The ARRL held its annual Field Day this past weekend, June 26 - 27. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, had agreed to participate in the event, but Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, surprised ham radio operators when he also joined in. Padalka worked stations on 70cm as RS0ISS and Fincke worked 2m stations as NA1SS. This was the first time that two different callsigns on the ISS were used at the same time. Amateur Radio operators, including some scout groups, were thrilled as they made contact with the Space Station. When not on the air, the crew left packet available for contacts. The event was a huge success! 5. Amateur Radio License Training Dr. Gregory Olsen will arrive at JSC on July 26 for one week of U.S. training. Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance have requested 5 hours to spend with Dr. Olsen - 4 hours to prepare him for his Amateur Radio license exam, and 1 hour for the exam. Dr. Olsen is tentatively scheduled for a taxi flight with the Expedition 10 crew to fly in October, 2004. Swedish ESA astronaut, Christer Fugelsang, will receive Amateur Radio license training at JSC the same week as Dr. Olsen. Fugelsang is expected to fly with the crew of STS-116, an assembly and crew-rotation mission to the ISS. 6. Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates Mailed Another batch of Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates has been distributed to ham radio operators who participated in the Roy Neal Commemorative Event. The event was held from November 29 through the end of December 2003, honoring Roy Neal for his hard work and dedication in getting Amateur Radio in space. Anyone who contacted the ISS through either voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) during that time is eligible to receive a certificate. 7. FCC Regulations Discussed ARISS delegate, Rosalie White, networked with the ARRL General Counsel. They discussed the possibility of upcoming changes to the FCC regulations concerning ham radio communications from spacecraft, and how these changes might affect the ARISS program. ARISS Status June 21, 2004 1. Chiao Receives Amateur Radio License Astronaut Leroy Chiao trained at JSC with Nick Lance and Kenneth Ransom in order to prepare for his Amateur Radio exam. On June 9, Chiao took and passed his exam, and has received his new callsign, KE5BRW. Chiao will be the commander of Expedition 10, and is scheduled to launch in October, 2004. 2. ARISS International Meeting The ARISS International Teleconference was held Tuesday, June 15. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer again encouraged team members to present papers at the AMSAT Symposium portion of the AMSAT/ARISS Joint Meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia on October 8 - 13, 2004. Robin Haighton has received and will continue to receive nominations for the election of officers at the October meeting. 3. ARRL Field Day The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, has agreed to participate in the event. Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, has also been invited to participate, but we have no confirmation at this time that he will. Pass times have been forwarded to the ISS crew - the best pass times will be on Sunday, June 27. ARRL ran a web story on the ISS participation in Field Day entitled, "Space Station Field Day 2004 Operation Possible." The article includes pass times and information on how to work a contact with the ISS. For complete details, see: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/17/6/?nc=1 4. ARISS Minutes Posted The minutes from the ARISS International Meeting held in the Netherlands in March have been posted on the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissmin.htm 5. Amateur Radios to be Cycled Off in Preparation for EVA The ARISS radio systems will be turned off at 1500 UTC on June 23, for safety reasons, in preparation for the EVA planned for repairing the CMG on June 24. They will be brought back up after the completion of the EVA. 6. ARRL Staff Member Gives Presentations at Ham Convention ARRL's Mark Spencer traveled to Dallas, Texas to attend a large ham radio convention, Ham-Com 2004, held on June 18 - 19. He gave three presentations, which covered space, wireless technology and Amateur Radio, and how these subjects might be taught in the school classroom, to target audiences of schoolteachers, homeschoolers and ham clubs. ARISS Status June 14, 2004 1. Field Day The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Both Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have been invited to participate in the event. Mike has agreed to take part in Field Day. This will be an outstanding opportunity for the ham radio community and schools and students to communicate with Mike Finke in an informal setting. The best day for passes/contacts will be Sunday June 27. The ARISS team will work up some pass times and forward them to Mike so that he has some options to work with. 2. AMSAT/ARISS Meeting AMSAT and ARISS team members met Saturday, June 12 to plan for the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meetings in Arlington, Virginia on October 8-13, 2004. The agenda and registration form can be found at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/2004/index.html 3. Engineering Tests The Phase 2 hardware voice test procedures have been approved by Ellen Baker. The tests will be run after the CMG EVA, which is currently scheduled to take place on June 24. 4. Reagan Honored by Expedition 9 Crew On June 11, the ARRL ran a web story entitled, "Expedition 9 crew honors President Reagan from space." See: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status June 7, 2004 1. Walton High School Contact Successful Walton Central High School in Walton, New York experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Wednesday, June 2 at 1757 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 16 questions posed by eight physics students. The contact was performed via the telebridge station, NN1SS, at GSFC, while Mark Steiner, K3MS, sat at the controls. ARRL's web story covering the contact, "No Pets, Voting Booths in Space, Astronaut Tells High Schoolers" can be found at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/04/100/?nc=1 and provides a link to the audio from the ARISS event. 2. Expedition 8 Crew Debriefing The ARISS-U.S. Team debriefed Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on Friday, June 4. The discussion covered operations, school contacts, hardware, and computer availability on board the ISS. Mike had a favorable impression of the ARISS program, and provided suggestions for further improving the project. 3. Field Day 2004 The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event the fourth full weekend in June. This year, Field Day will run from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Both Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have been invited to participate in the event. The ARISS team should learn in the next couple of weeks as to whether they will be participating in Field Day. 4. ISS Ham Technical Team Meeting The ISS Ham Technical Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, June 1. Discussions included a new third party agreement, which came out of the World Radio Conference, and how these changes might help the ARISS program. Also discussed were the steps to be taken for future EVAs - shutting down the radio equipment prior to an EVA, and bringing the systems up again, afterwards. 5. ARRL to Update School Applications ARRL has made plans to go through the older ARISS school applications in September (when school starts up again). Teachers will be contacted and asked to update their information and to provide schedules of vacations for the school year. ARISS Status May 31, 2004 1. Erie Planetarium Contact Successful The first ARISS contact of Expedition 9 took place on Tuesday, May 25 at 18:01 UTC. The contact was performed via the telebridge station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. During his very first amateur radio contact, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 18 questions asked by the students who gathered at the Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact was very successful and the children applauded and thanked Mike for his time. The ARRL ran a web story on the event entitled, "ARISS School Group Contact a First for Astronaut, Expedition 9." An audio link is provided within the article. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/05/27/8/?nc=1 2. Upcoming School Contact Walton Central High School in Walton, New York has also been scheduled for an ARISS contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The contact will take place on Wednesday, June 2 at 17:57 UTC. It will be performed via the telebridge station, NN1SS at GSFC. The audio will be streamed for this event - to join, go to: https://e-meetings.mci.com Conference # 6448964 Passcode: SPACE STATIO 3. Expedition 8 Crew Debriefing The Expedition 8 crew was interviewed by Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, from the ARISS Russian team on Wednesday, May 12. Expedition 8 commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, returned to the U.S. on May 24, and is scheduled for a crew debriefing with the ISS Ham Technical Team (USA) on Friday, June 4 at 2:15 p.m. ET. The half hour session will allow the team to ask for recommendations to improve school contacts, to ask technical questions concerning the radio systems and to determine computer availability on the ISS. ARISS Status May 24, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts The first ARISS contact with Expedition 9 has been scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact is planned for Tuesday, May 25 at 18:01 UTC, and will be performed via the telebridge amateur radio station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. To join this event, which will be webcast, go to https://e-meetings.mci.com CONFERENCE NUMBER: 6147025 PASSCODE: SPACE STATIO Walton Central High School in Walton, New York has also been scheduled for an ARISS contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The contact will take place on Wednesday, June 2 at 18:01 UTC. 2. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held their monthly teleconference on May 18. Agenda items discussed included the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meeting to be held in Arlington, Virginia in October 2004. AMSAT is setting aside time for educational presentations and ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer encouraged ARISS members to submit papers to be presented. ARISS officers will be elected at the October meeting for a two year term. Robin Haighton will send out a request for nominations. The Project Selection and Use Committee will meet over the summer to finalize its recommendations by the first week of September. 3. ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee Meeting The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, May 13. The discussion covered recent ARISS contact requests, the Expedition 11 crew and third party agreements, and options for teachers to use to keep interest alive while waiting for their ARISS contact. The minutes have been posted to the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm - May%2013,%202004 4. ARISS International Meeting Minutes and Presentations Posted The minutes, agendas and presentations from the ARISS International Meeting held in the Netherlands in March have been posted to the ARISS section of the AMSAT website. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Meetings/ESTEC2004/ 5. ARISS Submits Proposal to Code T ARISS Program Manager Frank Bauer and ARISS Program Deputy Manager Mark Steiner wrote and submitted a proposal to NASA's Office of Exploration Systems, Code T. The proposal covered the background of the ARISS program, development plans, and the educational benefits of including Amateur Radio in the new Space Exploration Initiative which plans to expand human spaceflight to the moon and Mars, and beyond. ARISS Status May 17, 2004 1. School Contacts to Resume ARISS school contacts will resume the last week of May. Expedition 9 crew's first contact is a crew pick of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and has been scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact is planned for Tuesday, May 25 at 1801 UTC, and will be performed via the telebridge amateur radio station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. 2. BBC Article on Dr. Gregory Olsen On May 4, the BBC ran a question and answer article on Dr. Gregory Olsen, entitled, "Third Space Tourist." Dr. Olsen is expected to visit the ISS in April 2005. He has expressed interest in training for his Amateur Radio license exam so that he might participate in ARISS school contacts. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3682397.stm 3. ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee Meeting The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, May 13. Minutes from the meeting are being prepared and will be posted to the ARISS website upon completion. 4. ARISS Presentation at Dayton Hamvention 2004 ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, gave a presentation to an audience of two hundred fifty people entitled, "AMSAT's Future Role in Human Spaceflight Exploration -- ARISS, the Moon and Mars" at the Dayton Hamvention 2004 on Saturday, May 15. Hamvention is an annual Amateur Radio trade show, which attracts a large number of Ham enthusiasts. The ARRL and AMSAT participated in the event which was held Friday through Sunday, May 14 - 16 in Dayton, Ohio. 5. Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates Mailed The bulk of the Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates have been mailed out. The event, which was held from November 29 through the end of December 2003, honored Roy Neal for his hard work and dedication in getting Amateur Radio in space. Anyone who contacted the ISS through either voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) during this time is eligible to receive a certificate. See the ARRL article, entitled, "ARISS Roy Neal Commemorative Event Certificates in the Mail" at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/05/11/2/?nc=1 6. Amateur Radio License Training Astronaut Leroy Chiao is scheduled to train at JSC with Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance in early June to prepare for his Amateur Radio license exam. Once he passes the exam and receives his callsign, he will be able to participate in the ARISS program during his flight on board the ISS, as Expedition 10 commander. He is scheduled to fly in October, 2004. 7. ARRL Article on Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, KD5ESI The ARRL ran a web story on the dedication of NASA's new supercomputer, the SGI Altix 3000, to Kalpana Chawla. Chawla lost her life last year in the Columbia STS-107 accident. The article is entitled, "NASA names new supercomputer after lost Columbia astronaut "KC" Chawla, KD5ESI," and can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status May 10, 2004 1. AMSAT/ARISS Planning Meeting On May 1, AMSAT and ARISS team members met to plan the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meeting to be held October 8-13, 2004 in Arlington, Virginia. A website has been established which includes the agenda, as well as a registration form for the October meetings. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/2004/index.html 2. Phase 2 Engineering Tests Status Kenneth Ransom, of JSC, met with planners to discuss scheduling the Engineering Tests of the Phase 2 Hardware. It was suggested to break the tests into two parts in order to reduce the amount of time needed for any one day, making it easier to schedule with the Expedition 9 crew. Kenneth will write up the procedures and get them verified so that the tests can be scheduled. The tests will not be run until after the first EVA (to fix the Control Moment Gyro problem) which is currently planned for June 10. 3. Amateur Radio License Training Astronaut Leroy Chaio will receive training from Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance of JSC in order to prepare him for his Amateur Radio license exam. The training is planned to take place over three weeks in June. Chaio will be the commander and science officer of Expedition 10, which is scheduled to launch in October, 2004. ARISS Status April 26, 2004 1. ESA/ESTEC School Contact Successful The Utilisation Strategy and Education Office of the ESA held a competition, "Zeg het ISS" for primary schools in the Netherlands and the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. The five winning classes gathered at Space Expo, Noordwijk, the Netherlands on Saturday, April 24. At 0750 UTC, the students made contact with Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS. Eighteen questions were asked and answered, and before signing off, the astronaut could hear the applause from the audience. TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers covered the event. Audio of the contact can be found on the ARISS-Europe website. Go to: http://www.ariss-eu.org. 2. Eindhoven School Contact Successful Another ARISS contact was scheduled with Andre Kuipers on April 25 at 0820 UTC. Students from Saltoschool Hanevoet (primary school), Sint Joriscollege (secondary school) and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (university), selected for the radio contact, gathered in the radio room of the Amateur Radio Club of the Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The audience gathered in the university's main hall where they watched on several big screen TVs. At the scheduled time, the operator of PI4TUE, the Radio Club station started calling but got no answer. Kuipers had been working on an experiment and was unable to finish it in time for the contact. After contacting ESA's ground control, it was decided to try again on the next pass at 0955 UTC. This time the contact was successful, and twenty questions were answered. The event was covered by the media, amateur TV, and was webcast over the country. Audio of the contact can be found under the Archives on the ARISS-Europe website. Go to: http://www.ariss-eu.org. 3. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on April 20. Agenda items discussed included a wrap up of the ARISS International Meeting in the Netherlands. Presentations from this meeting are being compiled, and minutes are almost ready for distribution. The two contacts planned with Andre Kuipers were discussed, and the delegates voted to have Rick Lindquist, N1RL, join the ARISS PR Team. Rick is the Senior News Editor of QST, ARRL's monthly magazine. 4. ARRL Articles on New ISS Crew On April 20, ARRL ran a web story on the three astronauts launched into space on the Soyuz vehicle. It is entitled, "Three Radio Amateurs on their Way to the ISS," and can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/20/101/?nc=1 On April 21, ARRL ran another web story on the Expedition 9 crew joining Expedition 8 on board the ISS. The crew transition will take place over the next several days, and Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri, of Expedition 8, along with Andre Kuipers, of the DELTA Mission, will return to Earth on April 29. The article is entitled, "Five hams now aboard ISS." See: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status April 19, 2004 1. Successful Launch of Expedition 9 Crew Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, are now on-orbit as they prepare for docking with the ISS aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Dutch ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS, joined the Expedition 9 crew for an eight day DELTA Mission on board the ISS. Launch occurred at 11:19 pm EDT on April 18. The crew may participate in the engineering tests of the Phase 2 hardware. 2. Articles on Sonoran Sky Contact The Arizona Republic published two articles on the Sonoran Sky Elementary School contact. The first, entitled, " Sonoran Sky students, space station link up," was published on April 6 and can be found at: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0406nespace06.html To view the second article, which was run on April 9, and entitled, "Students have chat with astronaut," see: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0409sr-space09Z8.html The video of the Sonoran Sky contact can be found at: http://epage.pvusd.k12.az.us/siteweb/index.html 3. ARRL Article on Amateur Radio and the Space Exploration Initiative ARRL ran a web story on the Space Exploration Initiative and what part Amateur Radio might play in this endeavor. See the article, entitled, "ARISS to Mull Ham Radio's Role in Distant Space Travel," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/14/1/?nc=1 4. Scheduling of ARISS Contacts Continues for Expedtion 9 Crew In addition to the ARISS contacts with DELTA Mission astronaut Andre Kuipers, planning has begun to schedule contacts with the Expedition 9 crew. The first contact with Expedition 9 has been tentatively scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania as a telebridge and will take place the week of May 24. ARISS Status April 12, 2004 1. ARRL Article on Saint Mard and Sonoran Sky School Contacts The ARRL ran a web story about the last two ARISS contacts with the two schools in Saint Mard, France on April 1 and Sonoran Sky Elementary School in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 5. The article, entitled, " Astronaut Looking Forward to Returning to Earth, But Not to Gravity," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/07/2/?nc=1 2. Next ARISS Contacts Scheduled with Dutch Astronaut Andre Kuipers The Expedition 8 crew members have completed their contacts with the ARISS program and are preparing for the handover of the ISS to the Expedition 9 crew. The next Soyuz vehicle is scheduled to launch on April 19. Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS, of the DELTA mission, plans to participate in two ARISS contacts during his eight day trip in space. A contact with Saltoschool Hanevoet in Eindhoven, The Netherlands is scheduled for April 24, and a contact with school children at the ESA ESTEC facility in Noordwijk, The Netherlands is scheduled for April 25. 3. Crew Debrief Questions Compiled ARISS member Kenneth Ransom, of JSC has begun to compile questions for the debriefing session with Mike Foale on his return to Earth. Technical questions about the radio systems and any suggestions on improving the school contacts will be included in the debriefing. 4. Follow up Activities from the ARISS International Meetings ARISS delegates continue to follow up on the action items brought up at the ARISS International Meetings in the Netherlands. Presentations from the meetings are also being compiled. ARISS Status April 6, 2004 1. Saint-Mard Schools Contact Successful The two schools of Saint-Mard, "College Georges Brassens of Saint Mard" and the "Jacques Prevert School," both located north of Paris, France experienced a successful contact with Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on April 1. The contact took place at 18:27 UTC. The students' teacher, Jocelyn Raffray, F5CAR relayed ten questions of the students to Foale. The students asking the questions, the technical team and the educational team participating in the contact were located in the radio room during the contact, while the contact was relayed via amateur television to the school's main hall for an audience of 150 students, teachers, parents, and media. 2. Sonoran Sky School Contact Successful The school group contact between Sonoran Sky Elementary, Scottsdale, Arizona and the ISS was a tremendous success. Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, answered 21 questions (22 asked) during the 10 minute ham radio contact. This contact is the final school group contact for Expedition 8. The contact started as scheduled at 1834 UTC. It was a tremendous horizon-to-horizon pass contact with every second utilized wisely. The contact was broadcast live at the school via amateur television where approximately 500 students participated. The contact will then be replayed to the entire Scottsdale School district, which includes 44 schools, 30 elementary schools and 35,000 students. There was significant press at the contact, including Channel 10--Fox news, Channel 3 KTVK, Channel 12 NBC, and the Arizona Republic and Scottsdale Tribune newspapers. 3. ARRL Article on Ham Radio Licensed Astronauts' Promotions On April 2, The ARRL Letter, which is distributed to 165,000 people, published an article about astronauts who are hams who have been promoted to key positions at NASA JSC. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/04/0402/ 4. ARRL Sets up Booth at Science Teachers Association Conference On March 29, ARRL's Mark Spencer went on travel in order to set up and staff a booth at the National Science Teachers Association national conference. He took handout materials and hands-on items to attract the attention of teachers, and thanks NASA for their support. 5. ARISS Delegates Follow-up Activities from ARISS International Meeting With the ARISS International Meeting a tremendous success, the ARISS Delegates are following up the meeting with necessary activities and completion of action items. Rosalie White, ARISS Secretary Treasurer, edited the minutes she took at the ARISS International Meeting held at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. She then debriefed the ARRL Board, her management and ARRL's media branch on news from the meeting. Many of the delegates and committee members are handling action items from the list which was developed at the meetings. 6. Space Tourist Interested in ARISS Program Dr. Gregory Olsen, a scientist who started his own company, Sensors Unlimited, Inc., headed to Star City, Russia last week to begin training for an eight day flight in space. As the next space tourist to take a ride on the Soyuz, Olsen plans to do some research of his own. He has also expressed an interest in the ARISS program and would like to make some school contacts while aboard the ISS. He would like to train for his Amateur Radio license with Nick Lance of JSC. He is scheduled to launch in April, 2005. For more information, see: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/03/29/space.tourist.ap/index.html ARISS Status March 2, 2004 1. Michigan School Contact Successful Armstrong Middle School in Flint, Michigan experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Monday, March 1. Students asked 14 questions of Mike Foale, KB5UAC, before contact was lost. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact has been scheduled with DuBose Middle School in Summerville, South Carolina. The contact has been scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 14:26 UTC. 3. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, February 24. Agenda items discussed included the next face-to-face meeting to be held in the Netherlands later this month, and the new Expedition 9 crew of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT. Both crew members are licensed Amateur Radio operators, and now need to be trained on the ARISS radio systems and school operations prior to their participation in the ARISS program. 4. Article on James Bay Elementary School Contact JSC's Office of Public Affairs ran an article in their daily "JSC Features" on the ARISS contact with James Bay Elementary School. See: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/articles/000000120.html 5. ISS Ham Equipment Turned Off for EVA On February 26, the ARISS radio systems were cycled off, for safety reasons, during the EVA performed by both Expedition 8 crew members. The radios were scheduled to be turned back on after completion of the spacewalk, at the crew's convenience. ARRL ran an article on February 27 entitled, "Spacewalk ends early." See: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARISS International Meeting, Netherlands Preparation for the next ARISS International Meeting has continued. ARISS Delegate Gaston Bertels, who is hosting the meeting, will distribute the agenda once all input has been received. The meeting is scheduled for March 24 -28. ARISS Status November 29, 2004 1. New York Contact Successful On Wednesday, November 24, Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York had a successful contact with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. An audience of approximately 450 students, teachers, and parents gathered at the school and watched as students asked 24 questions of Chiao. Media coverage included the "Long Island Cablevision" news channel, which filmed the entire event, Newsday, and some local newspapers. The principal and staff of Westhampton Beach Elementary School, and the Peconic Amateur Radio Club (PARC), which assisted in the event, were extremely pleased with the contact, and are all looking forward to other schools in the area arranging ARISS contacts. Newsday ran an article on the contact entitled, "Chat gives kids long-distance charge." See: http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-lispac254054702nov25,0,5041454.story The Southampton Press also covered the event. A summary can be found under School News - Westhampton Beach. See: http://www.southamptonpress.com/schools.ihtml 2. Upcoming School Contacts Students from École secondaire Fernand-Lefebvre, Sorel-Tracy, in Quebec, Canada will speak to astronaut Leroy Chiao. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 30 at 16:17 UTC. Manordale Public School in Ottawa, Ontario has been scheduled for an ARISS contact. It will take place on Thursday, December 9 at 17:17 UTC. 3. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, November 23. Agenda items discussed included the Moon/Mars Initiative, funding for the Columbus Module, and the Russian SuitSat proposal. The next meeting will be held on December 21, 2004. ARISS Status November 22, 2004 1. Italy School Contact Successful On November 19, 2004, students from two elementary schools, San Giovanni Bosco and Gianni Rodari, and one middle school, Ponteo Sarnelli, all in southeast Italy, experienced a successful contact with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. Chiao answered 18 questions put to him while an audience of 600 students, parents and VIPs looked on. Several TV and radio stations as well as newspapers covered the event. Congratulations to Leroy and the ARISS team on a successful beginning for Expedition 10! 2. Upcoming School Contacts Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York has been scheduled for a contact with the ISS. It will take place on Wednesday, November 24 at 18:15 UTC. Students from École secondaire Fernand-Lefebvre, Sorel-Tracy, in Quebec, Canada will also speak to Leroy Chiao. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 30 at 16:17 UTC. 3. ARISS Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Minutes Posted ARISS delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, held the bimonthly Educational Outreach and School Selection Committee Teleconference on Thursday, November 11. The minutes have been posted to the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm#11%20November%202004 4. Foale Named as Administrator for Exploration Operations ARRL ran an article on Expedition 8 crew member Mike Foale, KB5UAC. O'Keefe has selected Foale for the position of an administrator for exploration operations. The article, "NASA names space veteran, ham as deputy for exploration operations," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 5. ARISS Team Thanks Expedition 9 Crew for a Job Well Done On Wednesday, November 17, Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, presented ARRL Field Day t-shirts and pins to Expedition 9 crew members, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, at an informal gathering of Increment 9 support staff at JSC. The crew was appreciative, and Mike said that he really enjoyed talking to many of the ham operators on Field Day. The ARISS Team told Gennady how much he was appreciated for talking on the 430 MHz band. ARISS Status November 15, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Three schools will participate in a joint contact with the ISS. Students from two elementary schools, San Giovanni Bosco and Gianni Rodari, and Ponteo Sarnelli Middle School in Sud Italy, will have the opportunity to speak with Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, on November 19, 2004 at 14:36 UTC. Westhampton Beach Elementary School in Westhampton Beach, New York has also been scheduled for a contact with the ISS. It will take place on Wednesday, November 24 at 18:18 UTC. 2. ARISS International Meeting Minutes The minutes from the ARISS International Meeting are now available on the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissmin.htm and select minutes from the Arlington, Virginia meeting. 3. New Astronauts Licensed On November 12, astronauts (and one astronaut spouse) from the latest candidate class took and passed their amateur radio exams. Naoko Yamazaki, and her husband, Taichi Yamazaki, Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger, Richard R. Arnold II, Satoshi Furukawa, Jose M. Hernandez, and Joseph M. Acaba are among the newest members of the ham community. Congratulations to all! 4. QST Article on ARISS Meeting The December issue of ARRL's QST magazine contained an article about the ARISS International Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia in October. Photographs accompanied the story including one of ARISS members Sergey Samburov, RV3DR and Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, as they made contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, onboard the ISS. QST magazine is distributed to 160,000 ARRL members. 5. ARISS Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Held ARISS delegate Rosalie White, K1STO, held the bimonthly Educational Outreach and School Selection Committee Teleconference on Thursday, November 11. Minutes will soon be posted to the ARISS website. ARISS Status November 8, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Scheduling continues for ARISS school contacts with the Expedition 10 crew. The first contact will tentatively take place the week of November 15. 2. ARISS International Meeting Minutes and Presentations Posted The minutes, agenda and presentations from the ARISS International Meeting held in Arlington, Virginia in October have been posted to the ARISS section of the AMSAT website. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Meetings/Arlington2004/ 3. Hardware Purchases The ARISS U.S. team is working to procure four Kenwood VC-H1 slow-scan television converters. The hardware will be used for training and development. 4. ARRL Article on the Fourth Anniversary of ARISS The ARRL ran an article on the past four years of ARISS on the ISS entitled, "Permanent ISS Amateur Radio Station, Human Crews Share Fourth Anniversary." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/11/04/2/?nc=1 ARISS Status November 1, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts ARISS school contacts continue to be scheduled for the Expedition 10 crew. The first contact will tentatively take place the second week of November; however, no specific information is available at this time. 2. Fincke Makes Last Contacts from Space On Saturday, October 23, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, made his last few contacts from space before leaving the ISS. He talked to a few people over North America before returning home with Gennady Padalka and Yuri Shargin, landing safely in Kazakhstan on October 24. 3. ARRL Article on ISS Crews The ARRL ran a web story on the crew transition that took place on the ISS. The story, "Expedition 9 Crew Back on Earth; Expedition 10 Enjoying Short Respite," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/26/4/?nc=1 4. ARISS International Meeting Presentations The presentations given at the ARISS International Meeting held on October 10 - 12, are being compiled, and will soon be posted, along with the minutes, to the ARISS section of the AMSAT server. 5. PCSAT2 to Fly in May, 2005 The shuttle is expected to return to flight in May 2005. When launched, STS-114 will carry the external ARISS payload, PCSAT2. This will be carried on the backside of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE5), and will include 3 transponders - APRS Packet, FM Voice, and 10m PSK-31. Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, principal investigator, has a website detailing this project. "PCSAT2 - External ISS Experiment in the Amateur Satellite Service" can be found at: http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat2.html ARISS Status October 25, 2004 1. Pori, Finland Contact Successful Students from Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High Shool, in Pori, Finland, spoke to taxi flight cosmonaut, Yuri Shargin, on October 19. They were able to ask 12 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Students, teachers and members of the media, including radio, TV and newspapers, attended the event. ARISS delegate Gaston Bertels covered the contact in an article which is posted on the ARISS Europe website. "Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin Answers Questions of Finnish High School Students" can be found at: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_20.htm Another article, "Pori pupils talk with crew-member on the International Space Station," can be found on the Helsingin Sanomat International Edition - Home website. See: http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/article/1076154287014 2. Zonnebloem Contact Successful On October 22, the Science Exhibition in Hasselt, Belgium welcomed guest students from the Zonnebloem (Turnsole) Primary School. At 08:38 UTC, Yuri Shargin, using the callsign RS0ISS, answered 13 questions put to him by the students via the telebridge station ON4ISS. This was the first time this telebridge station, operated by Philippe van Houte , ON5PV, has been used for a school contact. Approximately one hundred students and teachers, as well as radio and television stations, and two newspapers attended the event. An article on the contact, including a photo and a link to the audio is posted on the ARISS-Europe website. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_22.htm 3. Gdynia Contact Article Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie High School, one of the schools that took part in the Gdynia, Poland contact, posted an article and photos on its website covering the event. The story is written in Polish. See: http://www.gla.edu.pl/aktualnosci/?show_article=115 4. ARRL Article on New Russian Satellite Proposal The ARRL ran a web story on the new satellite, which has been proposed by the Russians, and conveyed to AMSAT and ARISS by ARISS Russia delegate Sergey Samburov, RV3DR. The satellite is to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. A spacesuit is to be used to house amateur radio equipment including slow scan television (SSTV). The article, "ARISS International Delegates Ponder "SuitSat" Possibilities," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/19/1/?nc=1 5. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, Speaks to W5RRR JSC ran an article on Mike Fincke's contact with the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club (JSCARC), W5RRR. Mike thanked the group for his amateur radio training and let them know of the importance ham radio has played for him on the ISS. A link to a partial audio of the contact can be found on the site. "Amateur radio club talks with Mike Fincke," is located at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/articles/000000282.html 6. ARRL Covers New Crew on ISS On October 18, the ARRL ran an article on the successful docking of the Soyuz 9 with the ISS and of the Expedition 10 crew joining Expedition 9. The story, entitled, "Three hams now in space with arrival of Expedition 10 crew on ISS," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 7. Debrief Questions Compiled Debrief questions for the Expedition 9 crew have been compiled and uplinked to Mike Fincke. Mike will review these questions while on orbit so that he can check on the ARISS hardware status, time permitting. 8. ARRL Article on Expedition 10 Crew Taking Command of the ISS The ARRL ran a web story on the Expedition 10 crew, Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and ISS Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, taking the reins of the ISS, as Expedition 9 crew, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, ready themselves for departure. The article also covers Mike's last contacts with Montaud, France, and Gdynia, Poland, as well as the Pori, Finland and Hasselt, Belgium contacts with Yuri Shargin. The article, entitled, "Expedition 9 Crew Ready to Leave; Expedition 10 Commander Ready to Vote," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/22/3/?nc=1 ARISS Status October 18, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High Shool, in Pori, Finland has been scheduled for an ARISS contact with taxi flight cosmonaut, Yuri Shargin. It will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 07:13 UTC. Questions planned for the contact can be found on the ARISS Europe website. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_13.htm A second ARISS contact has been scheduled with Yuri Shargin. He will speak with students at the Space Expo in Hasselt, Belgium on October 22, 2004 at 08:38 UTC via the telebridge station ON4ISS. Shargin will use the callsign RS0ISS. 2. AMSAT and ARISS International Meetings Held The AMSAT and ARISS joint meetings were held October 8 -12 in Arlington, Virginia. ARISS U.S. member Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, made a contact with astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, who congratulated AMSAT on its 35th anniversary. ARRL covered the event in an article, "Greeting from Space, Change of Guard Highlight AMSAT-NA Gathering." A link to the audio of the contact is included in the story. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/11/1/?nc=1 3. New Satellite Proposed by Russians During the AMSAT/ARISS meetings, ARISS Russia member Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, gave presentations on a new satellite proposed by the Russians. The satellite is to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. A spacesuit is to be used to house amateur radio equipment including slow scan television (SSTV). Because the satellite will be launched in October 2005, and time is limited, the satellite will be simplistic in nature. If this approach works, another, more complex spacesuit satellite will be launched in 2007, commemorating 50 years since the launch of the first satellite. See "Russia Proposes SuitSAT" at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/updates/ 4. ARRL Article on Expedition 10 Crew The ARRL ran a web story on the new crew headed for the ISS. The article, entitled, "Expedition 10 heads to ISS; space station ham gear in repeater mode" can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status October 11, 2004 1. Gdynia Schools Contact Successful Three schools from Poland, Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk experienced a successful ISS contact on Wednesday, October 6. The two high schools participate in ZNEK, a space educational program. The Gdynia Maritime Academy offers degrees in marine studies. It also has a hamradio club, "Schooner," SP2ZIE, which was used as the ground station for this event. Approximately 40 people witnessed the contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, from the radio room, including students, teachers, and radio and TV personnel. Amateur television was set up in another room so that an audience of an additional 100 people could observe this event. See:http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_10_06.htm 2. Upcoming School Contact Porin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Pori Senior High school, in Pori, Finland has been scheduled for an ARISS contact. It will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 07:14 UTC. 3. ARISS International Meeting AMSAT held its symposium and annual meeting on October 8 - 10. The ARISS International Meeting begins today, Monday, October 11. The meetings are being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. A summary of the presentations given at the AMSAT meeting and a photo gallery can be found on AMSAT's website. A panel of ARISS delegates gave a presentation on current ARISS activities during the AMSAT meeting. See "ARISS - 2004 Status Report" at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/updates/ 4. ARRL Article on ISS Voice Repeater Usage Emily Clarke, W0EEC, an AMSAT and ARRL member, wrote an article on how to successfully use the ISS voice repeater. The ARRL ran her story, entitled, "Success Tips for Using the ISS Voice Repeater." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2004/10/06/1/?nc=1 The Kenwood radio is currently in repeater mode and is expected to remain in this mode through October 16. 5. ARRL Article on AMSAT/ARISS Joint Meetings The ARRL ran a web story on the meetings currently being held in Arlington, Virginia. Astronaut Carl Walz was the keynote speaker at the AMSAT dinner. The article, "AMSAT Symposium to feature ISS astronaut as banquet speaker," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ISS Congratulates SpaceShipOne The ARRL ran a web story about Mike Fincke sending congratulations to SpaceShipOne on winning the X Prize entitled, "Short-Term Expedition 9 Crew Congratulates SpaceShipOne Success." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/10/05/4/?nc=1 7. NEEIS Forms Submitted ARISS U.S. Delegate Rosalie White has been working with mentors to have teachers submit their post ARISS contact information. The NASA Education Evaluation Information System (NEEIS) forms were to be submitted before the end of the fiscal year. Rosalie has reviewed the NEEIS forms and has determined the changes needed to clean up and finalize the data. ARISS Status October 4, 2004 1. Montaud School Contact Successful Montaud, France is a small village located in the French Alps with a population of 450. The Primary School of Montaud has an enrollment of 65 students, ages 3 - 12. The Montaud students experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Thursday, September 30. The village is located in a mountainous region, with hills on the horizon, making a satellite contact difficult. An amateur radio operator, Guy Sauer, F5GJJ, who lives 5 kilometers from the school in a more optimal location, set up an amateur television (ATV) and radio link between his station and the school, making the contact with the ISS possible. Thirteen students were given the opportunity to ask the astronaut questions. Teachers, parents, 2 newspaper reporters, and 20 representatives from TV and radio stations attended the event. More information can be found on the ARISS Europe website at: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_09_30.htm 2. Upcoming School Contact Two Polish high schools and a university will share an ARISS contact. All three schools are located in the Pomorskie Province of Poland. Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk are scheduled to speak to the ISS on Wednesday, October 6 at 11:55 UTC. 3. Crew Unavailable for Marina Air Fair Mike Fincke had expressed interest in a contact with the Marina Air Fair in Marina, California on October 16. Because of the change in launch and docking times of Expedition 10's Soyuz flight, the crew will be unavailable to participate in a contact on this date. 4. ARRL Article on Investigator Contact The Kenwood radio was used for school operations for the first time during the Investigator Science and Technology Centre contact. It was also the first time that the IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) nodes were used. It is hoped that the IRLP may be used in the future to make ARISS contacts available to a wider audience. The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ARISS Logs Two "Firsts" in Australian School Contact." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/30/1/?nc=1 5. ARRL Article on Repeater Mode The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ISS Amateur Radio gear in repeater mode until September 30." See: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARISS International Meeting The joint AMSAT/ARISS meetings are fast approaching. The AMSAT Symposium kicks off this Friday, October 8 at 1 pm. The ARISS International Meetings begin on Monday, October 11. They will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. To view the agendas, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/agenda2004.php 7. Russian Ham Pass at Moscow Festival The Union of the Radio Amateurs of Russia (SRR) requested a ham radio contact with the Expedition 9 crew on October 2. The Union of the Radio Amateurs of Russia, the Russian Robinson Club and the RUSSIAN-IOTA participated in a large international festival near Moscow. More than 350 amateur radio operators from Russia, Germanium, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and USA took part in the festival. A special radio station with the special call sign, R73SRR, was used. ARISS Russia delegate Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, and some cosmonauts were invited to take part in the festival and to assist in organizing a contact with the ISS crew. 8. NEEIS Forms Submitted ARISS U.S. Delegate Rosalie White has been working with mentors to have teachers, who were involved with an astronaut contact, submit their post ARISS contact information. The NASA Education Evaluation Information System (NEEIS) forms were to be submitted before the end of the fiscal year. ARISS Status September 27, 2004 1. Investigator Centre Contact Successful The Investigator Science and Technology Centre in Adelaide, Australia, a non-profit center that provides educational programs to schools, welcomed Kilburn Primary School to participate in a contact with the ISS. Kilburn has an enrollment of approximately 130 students. About 20% of the students are Aboriginal and 25% are from non-English speaking backgrounds. The school focuses on Literacy, Numeracy, ICT and a Supportive School Environment, and many of the students have significant learning needs. On September 23, Kilburn's fifth and sixth graders had the opportunity to speak with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, via the telebridge station, WH6PN, in Hawaii. Students posed thirteen questions to Fincke, as an audience of sixty people looked on. The event was covered by the media, which included ABC radio (Australia's national radio system), University Radio, a local FM station, and a newspaper. An article will also be published in the State Educational Journal for teachers. Mike Fincke used the Kenwood radio to speak to the children of Kilburn. This was the first time the Phase 2 hardware was used for school operations, and because this contact was successful, the ARISS team plans to use the Kenwood radio for the remaining contacts of Expedition 9. After the contact, the radio was placed in repeater mode, and will remain in this mode until the next school contact scheduled for September 30. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The Primary School of Montaud in Montaud, France has been scheduled for a contact with Mike Fincke. It is planned for September 30 at 1158 UTC. Two Poland high schools and a university will share an ARISS contact. All three schools are located in the Pomorskie Province. Gdynia Maritime University and Gdynskie Liceum Autorskie STO (High School) both located in Gdynia and Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Nr 5 (High School) in Gdansk are scheduled to speak to the ISS on Wednesday, October 6 at 11:55 UTC. 3. Marina Air Fair Contact Mike has expressed interest in a contact with the Marina Air Fair in Marina, California. This event will take place on Saturday, October 16. 4. ARRL Article on the Aoyama School and ESA ESOC Contacts The ARRL ran a web story on two recent ARISS contacts. Links to the audio of both the Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School and "Long Night of the Stars" ESA ESOC contacts may be found on their website. See: "Astronaut Thrills Audiences in Japan, Germany via Amateur Radio," at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/23/2/?nc=1 5. ESA ESOC "Long Night of the Stars" On September 18, an open house known as "Long Night of the Stars," was held at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany. The highlight of the evening was the contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on board the International Space Station. There was wide media coverage including newspapers, magazines, news agencies, the Hessen TV station, and several radio stations. Over 120,000 people listened in on the contact. ESA ran an article on the event entitled, "Sell-out crowd wowed by ESOC's Long Night of the Stars," and can be found at: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMIP61XDYD_0.html The ARISS-Europe website also posted a story on the gala with a link to the audio of the contact. See: "ASTRONAUT MIKE FINCKE PARTICIPATES TO THE "LONG NIGHT OF THE STARS," at http://www.ariss-eu.org/2004_09_20.htm 6. ARISS International Meeting The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, September 21. The main item discussed was the agenda for the face to face meeting scheduled for next month. The AMSAT/ARISS meetings will be held on October 8 - 13 in Arlington, VA. To view the agenda, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/agenda2004.php 7. ARRL Posts ARISS News on LM_Net The LM_NET list is a school Library Media listserv for school library media specialists and people involved in the school library media field. The ARRL PR Committee now posts news items to this listserv whenever an ARISS radio contact is scheduled in the USA during school hours. ARISS Status September 6, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Kingston Community School in Kingston SE, South Australia has been scheduled for an ARISS contact via the telebridge station, NN1SS. It will take place on Friday, September 10, at 0752 UTC. Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School in Tokyo, Japan will also experience a contact with the ISS. It has been scheduled for Friday, September 17, at 17:07 UTC. 2. ARRL Article on Pennsylvania School Contact The ARRL ran a web story on the August 27 Upper St. Clair High School contact. The article provides a link to an audio of the contact. See "Life in Space Fun, Challenging, Astronaut Tells Pennsylvania Students," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/03/1/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article on New Kenwood Mode The ARISS team successfully tested the Kenwood repeater mode during an ISS pass on Saturday, August 28. The ARRL ran a web story entitled, "ARISS Puts ISS Phase 2 Equipment to Use as FM "EasySat"." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/30/1/?nc=1 4. ARISS Radios Cycled The ARISS radio systems were turned off on September 2 at 1700 UTC in preparation of Expedition 9's fourth EVA. The spacewalk began on Friday, September 3 at 1650 UTC, and ended 5 hours and 21 minutes later. The crew turned on the radios before the end of the day, which was earlier than anticipated, and the radio is now in packet mode. 5. ARISS Photos Displayed at Japan's Hamfest JAIA Ham Fair, Japan's largest hamfest, was held at Tokyo's Big Sight International Convention Center on August 21 -22. Manufacturers and dealers, as well as 170 radio clubs, all had exhibit booths at this event. The ARISS U.S. team provided photographs of the ARISS radio equipment in the Service Module to Hiroto Watarikawa, JJ1LYU. A modified Kenwood D700E, which looks like the flight radio, and the ARISS supplied photos were used as part of an exhibit in the Kenwood Booth. More than 30,000 people attended the event. 6. Mike Fincke May Participate in Upcoming Events Mike Fincke has expressed interest in participating in two upcoming events. The first event, "The Long Night of the Stars," is an open house at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, which will be held on Saturday, September 18. The second event is the Marina Air Fair which will be held in Marina,California on Saturday, October 16. Should he decide to do so, Mike's participation in these events will be handled as informal dialog, similar to that of Field Day. 7. ARRL Sponsors Teachers Institute ARRL sponsored its first Education and Technology Program (ETP) Teachers Institute the second week of August. Mark Spencer involved the participating teachers in hands-on activities for integrating wireless technology, Amateur Radio, ARISS and other space-related activities into math and science classrooms. By the end of the week, the teachers had enjoyed themselves so much, that they said they weren't ready to go home. See ARRL's article, "First "Big Project" Teachers Institute Under Way," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/10/1/?nc=1 ARISS Status August 30, 2004 1. Upper St. Clair School Contact Successful On Friday, August 27, at 13:45 UTC, Upper St. Clair High School in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania experienced a successful contact with the ISS. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered nine questions posed to him by the students while a crowd looked on. Fifteen questions had been prepared by a group of 8 boys and 7 girls, which included representatives from the high school and both Fort Couch and Boyce Middle Schools, as well as one fourth grader from Eisenhower Elementary School. The 15 students will serve as ARISS ambassadors for their respective schools when school reopens on Monday, August 30. Several newspapers and cable TV stations covered the event. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article entitled, "Upper St. Clair students spend a minute talking to orbiting space station astronaut." See: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04241/369239.stm 2. Upcoming School Contact Kingston Community School in Kingston SE, South Australia has been scheduled for an ARISS contact via the telebridge station, NN1SS. It will take place on Friday, September 10, at 0752 UTC. 3. Engineering Tests Successful The ARISS team successfully tested the Kenwood repeater mode during an ISS pass on Saturday, August 28. The amateur radio equipment aboard the International Space Station is now operating in cross-band repeater mode, and got a workout by the ham community over the weekend. The downlink for this operating mode is 145.80 MHz and the new uplink frequency is 437.80 MHz. All frequencies are subject to Doppler shifting. 4. ARISS Radios to be Cycled The ARISS radio systems will be turned off on September 2 at 1645 UTC in preparation of a 6 hour EVA, which is scheduled for Friday, September 3 at 1650 UTC. The radios are expected to be powered on again on September 4. 5. Mike Fincke May Participate in Upcoming Events Mike Fincke has expressed interest in participating in two upcoming events. The first event, "The Long Night of the Stars," is an open house at the control center of ESA ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, which will be held on Saturday, September 18. The second is an Air Show to be held in Marina Air Faire, Marina, California on Saturday, October 16. Should he decide to do so, Mike's participation in these events will be handled as informal dialog, similar to that of Field Day. ARISS Status August 23, 2004 1. Illinois School Contact Successful Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, Illinois experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Monday, August 16, at 1805 UTC. Fourteen year old Roxie Able, KC9CSV, was on the microphone using W9AML, and Grant Zehr, AA9LC, acted as the control operator. Mike answered thirteen questions put to him by the students. Two TV stations, one radio station, and several newspapers attended the event. The ARRL ran a web story on the contact. "Astronaut Tells Youngsters He's Craving Fried Chicken," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/19/3/?nc=1 This site also provides a link to the audio of the contact. Another article was run on Bloomington's Pantagraph site. See "Long-distance chat," at: http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/081704/new_20040817006.shtml 2. Upcoming School Contact Upper St. Clair High School in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania has been scheduled for a contact with the ISS on Friday, August 27 at 13:46 UTC. This school is a crew pick of Mike Fincke's. 3. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, August 17. Agenda items discussed included the AMSAT/ARISS joint meetings to be held on October 8 - 13 in Arlington, Virginia. A roundtable panel discussion for ARISS participants as part of the AMSAT meeting is planned. Kenneth Ransom proposed that an ARISS special event be held during the December/January timeframe similar to the Field Day activity held in the U.S. in June, but with international participation. Such an event would not only be enjoyed by ham radio operators, but would also be a boost to the crew's spirits during the holiday season. ARISS Delegate Gaston Bertels is working with ESTEC's ISS Utilization Service to see how they are interfacing with the NASA Headquarters Education Office regarding the possibility of setting up a yearly activity for Dutch schools relating to space. This would be funded by the Dutch government. Gaston is working to have ARISS included in the planning. This yearly event in the Netherlands would culminate in a school contact with the ISS. 4. AMSAT/ARISS Planning Meeting Held A planning meeting for the AMSAT Symposium and ARISS International Delegate meeting was held on Saturday, August 21. Carl Walz has agreed to be the AMSAT banquet speaker. Carl was involved in the installation of some of the antennas on the Service Module and will discuss NASA's Vision for Space Exploration as part of his talk. 5. ARISS QSL Cards of Note The ARRL received a request for a radio contact confirmation card (called a QSL card) from a sight-impaired ham radio operator. Mark Spencer met the request by using ARRL's Brailler machine to fill out the ARISS QSL card. Another ham radio operator wrote on his QSL card: "Although I've been a ham operator for 36 years, this radio contact with the ISS got me more excited than I've been about ham radio in some time." ARISS Status August 9, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts Two Tennessee schools, Good Shepherd School in Decherd and St Paul's in Tullahoma, will share an ARISS contact. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 1340 UTC, and will take place from St. Paul's. Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, Illinois has also been scheduled for a contact. It has been planned for Monday, August 16, at 1805 UTC. 2. ARRL Article on Habikino Contact The ARRL ran a web story on the ARISS contact between Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and The Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino. The article, "Microgravity Complicates Haircuts in Space, Astronaut Tells Students," may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/05/2/?nc=1 3. Astronaut Passes Amateur Radio Exam During the last week of July, ESA Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang received training from Nick Lance and Kenneth Ransom at JSC to prepare him for his Amateur Radio License exam. On Thursday, August 5, he took and passed the test, enabling him to participate in the ARISS Program. Fuglesang has been assigned as a Mission Specialist to the crew of STS-116, an assembly and crew-rotation mission to the ISS. 4. Astronaut Requests QSL Cards Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, made a request for a few QSL cards to be scanned and sent up to him after his 36 contacts last weekend. The ARRL staff reviewed the confirmation cards they received from the ham radio operators who had made contacts with the Expedition 9 crew. Three interesting ones were selected to forward to the crew. 5. Astronaut Tony England, W0ORE, Honored The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) honored Tony England, W0ORE, by presenting him with the 2004 IEEE Judith A. Resnick Award. England was very active early on in promoting SAREX among children to pique their interest in math and science. See ARRL's article, " IEEE honors Tony England, W0ORE," at: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARRL Article on Expedition 9 EVA The ARRL ran an article on the August 3 EVA. ARISS radio systems were turned off prior to the space walk, and were turned on again on August 4. See: "ISS crew completes space walk," at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status August 2, 2004 1. Habikino School Contact Successful The Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino in Habikino, Japan experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Thursday, July 29 at 11:55 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, speaking in English and Japanese, answered 16 questions put to him by fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School, as an audience of 70 children and 300 adults looked on. One TV station and 2 newspapers covered the event. 2. Russian Contact Successful The aerospace festival "Let's Give the Planet to the Kids" is being held from July 15 through August 4, at ARTEK International Children's' Center. The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, UNESCO's Deputy Director General, Mr. Barboza, members of diplomatic corps from over 20 countries, and other high-ranking dignitaries were invited to the gala concert, which was scheduled for July 30. During this event, a HAM radio contact was scheduled with Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and cosmonaut Anatoly Artsebarsky, callsign - Ulyana-7-MIR [?7???]) at 16:50 UTC. 3. Upcoming School Contact Two Tennessee schools, Good Shepherd School in Decherd and St Paul's in Tullahoma, will share an ARISS contact. The contact has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 10 at 1340 UTC, and will take place from St. Paul's. 4. Mike Fincke Makes Random Contacts Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, has been enjoying himself on the ARISS radio systems. In addition to his participation in Field Day, he has made many general contacts. He has been most active on the weekends, including this past weekend, July 31 - August 1, when he made over 30 contacts to 5 continents. ARRL ran an article on the Expedition 9 crew members and their time on the air. See "ISS crew schedule tight for casual hamming," at: http://www.arrl.org/?news_list_off=15 5. ARISS Team sends Photos to Japan for Exhibit The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) will sponsor a Ham Fair 2004 on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 - 22 at Tokyo Big Site, Japan. The ARISS U.S. team provided photographs of the ARISS radio equipment in the Service Module to Hiroto Watarikawa, JJ1LYU. Hiroto will display a modified Kenwood D700E, which looks like the flight radio, and will use the photos for a slide show on a personal computer as part of an exhibit in the Kenwood Booth. An attendance of 28,000 people is expected at the event. 6. ARISS Radio Systems to be Cycled for EVA In preparation of the EVA, scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, the amateur radios on board the ISS are scheduled to be cycled off at 0850 UTC on Aug 2. They will be turned on again on Aug 4 at 0850 UTC. 7. ARISS Acquires Amateur Radios for Training A Yaesu FT-100D amateur radio is currently being qualified for flight as part of the ARISS Phase 2 Hardware. The ARISS U.S. team has recently acquired six of these transceivers and associated tuners. These will be used for training, crew procedure development and testing. 8. Coordinating Teacher of First ARISS Contact Receives Second License Rita Wright, KC9CDL, recently earned her General Class license. Rita is an 8th grade science and math teacher from Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois, whose school experienced the first ARISS radio contact with Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, on December 21, 2000. She still uses radio and NASA material in her classroom and pursued her second license in order to help her students progress even further in science. ARISS Status July 26, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contact An ARISS contact has been scheduled for the Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino, Japan. On Thursday, July 29 at 11:55 UTC, fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Mike may answer the questions in Japanese. 2. Kenwood D700 Engineering Tests Successful The ARISS U.S. Team successfully completed a comprehensive checkout pass on Thursday, July 22 with Astronaut Mike Finke, KE5AIT. Utilizing ground stations in Greenbelt, Maryland, Orlando, Florida and Houston, Texas and linking team members in Kansas, Colorado, Maryland, Florida and Texas, the ARISS USA team performed voice and packet radio uplink tests to fully validate the Kenwood D700 system for future school group operations. In the near future, the Expedition 9 crew will set up the Kenwood to allow a checkout of the repeater mode, which will conclude testing of this portion of the Phase 2 Hardware. ARRL's web story covers the tests in, "ARISS US Team Completes Phase II Equipment Checkout." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/23/6/?nc=1 3. ARISS International Meeting An ARISS International Teleconference was held on Tuesday, July 20. Agenda items discussed included the Joint AMSAT - ARISS Meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia on October 8 -13. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer asked the delegates to provide short status reports for each region. The reports would be compiled and presented at the AMSAT portion of the meeting. Also during the AMSAT meeting will be time for a panel of ARISS delegates to provide highlights of their regions, and then be available for a question and answer session afterwards. 4. ARRL Article on Meizen School Contact ARRL ran a web story on the Meizen High School contact in Japan entitled, "'We Need to Work Together,' Astronaut Tells Students in Japan." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/22/2/?nc=1 5. Nick Lance Receives Educator of the Year Award The ARRL held its Board of Directors meeting on Friday and Saturday, July 16-17, and presented awards to those who exhibited excellence in their respective areas over the past year. ARISS member, Nick Lance, KC5KBO, who not only worked with youth on ARISS studies, but also tutored Aerospace Education Specialists and ISS crew members, received the 2003 ARRL Professional Educator of the Year Award. See the web story, "ARRL Board Names Award Winners" at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/22/1/?nc=1 6. MCI Relays News of Space Camp Turkey Contact On July 23, MCI's employee news digest mentioned the ISS contact with Space Camp Turkey. The space camp was linked to the ISS via an MCI-donated telephone bridge. The news item referenced ARRL's July 16 Newsletter as the source. ARISS Status July 19, 2004 1. Meizen School Contact Successful Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, experienced a successful contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, on Tuesday, July 13. Seventeen students (10 elementary, 3 junior high and 4 high school students) prepared 29 questions for the contact. They were able to ask 17 questions and Mike surprised the audience of 50 elementary, 20 junior high, and 250 high school students as well as 80 parents, when he answered the questions in both English and Japanese. Also attending the event were six TV stations, including NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), and 5 newspapers. Osamu Nakamura, NH7TA, a student of Meizen High School, was the control operator during this contact. He received his FCC license last November specifically for this event. All preparations for this contact were made by the Meizen High School students themselves - this was a first for Japan, and a very successful event for all! 2. Upcoming School Contact An ARISS contact has been scheduled for the Council on Sound Development for School Children in Habikino, Japan. On Thursday, July 29 at 11:49 UTC, fifth and sixth graders from Habikigaoka Elementary School will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. Mike may answer the questions in Japanese. 3. Expedition 9 Video to Japan Astronaut Mike Fincke, requested that a video be sent to Habikino prior to its scheduled contact on July 29. The video, "Expedition 9 Tour," gives students a tour of the Space Station. Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka both participate in the video, giving students answers to commonly asked questions such as "How do you eat and drink in space?" and "How do you use the bathroom in space?" The video is very well done and will make a nice addition to the ARISS contact for the students. A CD of the video was sent to Japan ARISS representative, Satoshi Yasuda, and it has been uploaded to the ARISS section of the AMSAT server. Please see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Video/ 4. ARISS Team Prepares for Tests at GSFC Engineering tests have been scheduled for the Kenwood D700 Phase 2 hardware. The checkout pass over Goddard Space Flight Center is scheduled for Thursday, July 22 at 20:33 UTC. ARISS team members have been gathering at Goddard Space Flight Center to prepare for the 10 minute pass. A dry run was held Tuesday, July 13 with GSFC ARISS members, and a final dry run will be held Tuesday, July 20 at 3 pm with all ARISS members who will be involved in the Thursday Phase 2 hardware tests. 5. ARRL Board of Directors Meeting The ARRL Board of Directors held a meeting Friday and Saturday, July 16-17 in Windsor, Connecticut. Rosalie White presented the ARISS report given at the meeting. 6. Gilmour Academy Contact Leads to New Hams Inspired by the ARISS Program, members of the Gilmour Academy community in Gates Mills, Ohio went on to earn their Amateur Radio licenses. Two students, Jess Noeth, KD8ACJ, and Britt Mawby, KD8ACL, as well as parent David Noeth, KD8ACO (Jess' dad) earned their callsigns after experiencing an ARISS contact with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on January 2, 2004. Congratulations to all! ARISS Status July 12, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contact Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, is scheduled for an ARISS contact on Tuesday, July 13, at 1031 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, may answer the students' questions in Japanese. 2. Independence Day Contacts Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, was active on the ARISS radio system on the Fourth of July. He logged eight contacts with stations in Canada, the U.S. and Costa Rica. Fincke said that he enjoyed Field Day so much that he would like to get on the radio more often. ARRL ran an article entitled, "Field Day Fun Leads to ISS Ragchews." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/06/100/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article on Space Camp Turkey On July 7, the ARRL ran a web story on the Space Camp Turkey contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The article, entitled, "Space Camp Turkey," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/07/102/?nc=1 4. Engineering Tests Scheduled Voice tests have been scheduled for the Kenwood D700 Phase 2 hardware. The checkout pass over Goddard Space Flight Center is scheduled for July 22 at 20:33 UTC. After the tests, Mike Fincke will set the default frequency for packet, and will set the power setting to high where it will remain until his next voice contact. 5. ARISS School Committee Meeting Held The Educational Outreach/ School Selection Committee Meeting was held Thursday, July 8, 2004. Minutes will be posted to the ARISS website in the near future. 6. Ham Demonstration at Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum The ARRL shipped items to ham radio operators who will set up a demo station next weekend at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapokoneta, Ohio. A 35th anniversary event is being held to honor Armstrong's steps on the moon. 7. October Taxi Flight Dr. Gregory Olsen, who was slated to be the third space tourist to visit the ISS, will not fly due to problems encountered during a medical exam. A cosmonaut will be taking his place on the taxi flight in October, 2004. 8. Space Symposium Tips Some items to consider while making plans to attend the AMSAT-ARISS Joint Meetings in October have been posted to the AMSAT website. See "Space Symposium travel tips," at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/ ARISS Status July 5, 2004 1. Tulsa Contact Postponed, Radios Cycled off For EVA The scheduling of the second EVA attempt to repair the CMG conflicted with the ARISS contact with Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was slated for Friday, July 2, 2004. The Tulsa contact will be rescheduled at a future time. ARISS radio systems were cycled off on June 29 in preparation for the EVA, and were turned on again July 1. ARRL covered the event in the web story, "Repair Spacewalk Trumps ARISS School Group QSO." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/01/3/?nc=1 2. Space Camp Turkey Contact Successful Space Camp Turkey, located in Izmir, Turkey, is holding a Partner School Project Week from July 4-10, 2004. The purpose of this week is to promote friendship and cooperation, through space education activities, among the students who come from several different countries including Turkey, Greece, Israel, and the U.S. One hundred thirty students, ages 12-16, are attending this week and several had the opportunity to talk to the ISS crew on Monday, July 5 at 0825 UTC via the telebridge station WH6PN. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 15 questions put to him by the campers. A recording of the contact can be found at http://www.ariss-eu.org/Izmir_05JUL2004.mp3 3. Upcoming School Contact Meizen High School in Kurume-City, Fukuoka, Japan, has been scheduled for an ARISS contact on Tuesday, July 13, at 1031 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, who is fluent in Japanese, may delight the students by answering their questions in Japanese. 4. ARRL Article on Field Day Event On June 29, the ARRL ran an article on the Field Day Activities held over the June 26 - 27 weekend. The story, 'ISS crew pleases Field Day crowd with ham radio "first",' can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/29/1/?nc=1 5. AMSAT Website Revised AMSAT's website has a new look. The Space Symposium Registration notice is prominent on AMSAT's home page, and the information available for the joint AMSAT-ARISS meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia, on October 8 - 13, as well as the agenda, may be found at http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/ 6. Engineering Tests Engineering tests are being scheduled for the Kenwood D700. Kenneth Ransom has submitted procedures for the repeater check out, and has also submitted pass time options for the voice tests. 7. Girl Scout Ham to Introduce Amateur Radio and ARISS to Other Scouts ARRL's Rosalie White provided lithographs and information to be used at a multi-state Girl Scout camporee in rural Minnesota. A high school Girl Scout, who is also an Amateur Radio operator, is setting up several ham radio stations there with the support of local female ham radio operators. She plans to introduce 2,000 Girl Scouts to Amateur Radio and to tell interested viewers about ARISS. ARISS Status June 28, 2004 1. Upcoming Schools An ARISS contact has been scheduled for Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday, July 2, 2004 at 13:41 UTC. The m has set up their Amateur Radio station with the Space Colonization Exhibit, and on the day of the contact, the children, from grades 1 - 9, will be able to speak with one of the first space colonists. Space Camp Turkey, located in Izmir, Turkey, will also experience a contact with the ISS on Monday, July 5 at 0821 UTC via the telebridge station WH6PN. This is the second contact for this camp whose students come from several different countries including Turkey, Greece, Israel, and the U.S. To join this event, go to: https://e-meetings.mci.com CONFERENCE NUMBER: 5249702 PASSCODE: SPACE STATIO 2. Mike Fincke Announces Birth of Daughter via ARISS Radio System Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and his wife Renita became parents again on Friday, June 18. On Saturday, Mike announced the birth of his new daughter via the ISS Packet radio system's beacon which read, "It's a girl! Tarali Fincke," and was being sent approximately once per minute as the ISS traveled around the world. For more information, see ARRL's article, "Astronaut Radios Birth Announcement, Celebrates Special Father's Day in Space," at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/22/2/?nc=1 Congratulations Mike and Renita! 3. Amateur Radios Cycled for EVA The ARISS radio systems were turned off on June 23, in preparation for the EVA to repair the CMG. They were turned on again, on June 25, after the EVA attempt, and will be cycled off prior to the next CMG EVA attempt, which may take place on Wednesday, June 30. 4. ARRL Field Day The ARRL held its annual Field Day this past weekend, June 26 - 27. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, had agreed to participate in the event, but Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, surprised ham radio operators when he also joined in. Padalka worked stations on 70cm as RS0ISS and Fincke worked 2m stations as NA1SS. This was the first time that two different callsigns on the ISS were used at the same time. Amateur Radio operators, including some scout groups, were thrilled as they made contact with the Space Station. When not on the air, the crew left packet available for contacts. The event was a huge success! 5. Amateur Radio License Training Dr. Gregory Olsen will arrive at JSC on July 26 for one week of U.S. training. Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance have requested 5 hours to spend with Dr. Olsen - 4 hours to prepare him for his Amateur Radio license exam, and 1 hour for the exam. Dr. Olsen is tentatively scheduled for a taxi flight with the Expedition 10 crew to fly in October, 2004. Swedish ESA astronaut, Christer Fugelsang, will receive Amateur Radio license training at JSC the same week as Dr. Olsen. Fugelsang is expected to fly with the crew of STS-116, an assembly and crew-rotation mission to the ISS. 6. Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates Mailed Another batch of Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates has been distributed to ham radio operators who participated in the Roy Neal Commemorative Event. The event was held from November 29 through the end of December 2003, honoring Roy Neal for his hard work and dedication in getting Amateur Radio in space. Anyone who contacted the ISS through either voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) during that time is eligible to receive a certificate. 7. FCC Regulations Discussed ARISS delegate, Rosalie White, networked with the ARRL General Counsel. They discussed the possibility of upcoming changes to the FCC regulations concerning ham radio communications from spacecraft, and how these changes might affect the ARISS program. ARISS Status June 21, 2004 1. Chiao Receives Amateur Radio License Astronaut Leroy Chiao trained at JSC with Nick Lance and Kenneth Ransom in order to prepare for his Amateur Radio exam. On June 9, Chiao took and passed his exam, and has received his new callsign, KE5BRW. Chiao will be the commander of Expedition 10, and is scheduled to launch in October, 2004. 2. ARISS International Meeting The ARISS International Teleconference was held Tuesday, June 15. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer again encouraged team members to present papers at the AMSAT Symposium portion of the AMSAT/ARISS Joint Meetings to be held in Arlington, Virginia on October 8 - 13, 2004. Robin Haighton has received and will continue to receive nominations for the election of officers at the October meeting. 3. ARRL Field Day The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, has agreed to participate in the event. Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, has also been invited to participate, but we have no confirmation at this time that he will. Pass times have been forwarded to the ISS crew - the best pass times will be on Sunday, June 27. ARRL ran a web story on the ISS participation in Field Day entitled, "Space Station Field Day 2004 Operation Possible." The article includes pass times and information on how to work a contact with the ISS. For complete details, see: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/17/6/?nc=1 4. ARISS Minutes Posted The minutes from the ARISS International Meeting held in the Netherlands in March have been posted on the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissmin.htm 5. Amateur Radios to be Cycled Off in Preparation for EVA The ARISS radio systems will be turned off at 1500 UTC on June 23, for safety reasons, in preparation for the EVA planned for repairing the CMG on June 24. They will be brought back up after the completion of the EVA. 6. ARRL Staff Member Gives Presentations at Ham Convention ARRL's Mark Spencer traveled to Dallas, Texas to attend a large ham radio convention, Ham-Com 2004, held on June 18 - 19. He gave three presentations, which covered space, wireless technology and Amateur Radio, and how these subjects might be taught in the school classroom, to target audiences of schoolteachers, homeschoolers and ham clubs. ARISS Status June 14, 2004 1. Field Day The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Both Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have been invited to participate in the event. Mike has agreed to take part in Field Day. This will be an outstanding opportunity for the ham radio community and schools and students to communicate with Mike Finke in an informal setting. The best day for passes/contacts will be Sunday June 27. The ARISS team will work up some pass times and forward them to Mike so that he has some options to work with. 2. AMSAT/ARISS Meeting AMSAT and ARISS team members met Saturday, June 12 to plan for the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meetings in Arlington, Virginia on October 8-13, 2004. The agenda and registration form can be found at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/2004/index.html 3. Engineering Tests The Phase 2 hardware voice test procedures have been approved by Ellen Baker. The tests will be run after the CMG EVA, which is currently scheduled to take place on June 24. 4. Reagan Honored by Expedition 9 Crew On June 11, the ARRL ran a web story entitled, "Expedition 9 crew honors President Reagan from space." See: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status June 7, 2004 1. Walton High School Contact Successful Walton Central High School in Walton, New York experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Wednesday, June 2 at 1757 UTC. Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 16 questions posed by eight physics students. The contact was performed via the telebridge station, NN1SS, at GSFC, while Mark Steiner, K3MS, sat at the controls. ARRL's web story covering the contact, "No Pets, Voting Booths in Space, Astronaut Tells High Schoolers" can be found at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/04/100/?nc=1 and provides a link to the audio from the ARISS event. 2. Expedition 8 Crew Debriefing The ARISS-U.S. Team debriefed Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on Friday, June 4. The discussion covered operations, school contacts, hardware, and computer availability on board the ISS. Mike had a favorable impression of the ARISS program, and provided suggestions for further improving the project. 3. Field Day 2004 The ARRL will hold its annual Field Day event the fourth full weekend in June. This year, Field Day will run from Saturday, June 26 at 1800 UTC (2 pm ET) to Sunday, June 27 at 2100 UTC (5 pm ET). Both Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, have been invited to participate in the event. The ARISS team should learn in the next couple of weeks as to whether they will be participating in Field Day. 4. ISS Ham Technical Team Meeting The ISS Ham Technical Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, June 1. Discussions included a new third party agreement, which came out of the World Radio Conference, and how these changes might help the ARISS program. Also discussed were the steps to be taken for future EVAs - shutting down the radio equipment prior to an EVA, and bringing the systems up again, afterwards. 5. ARRL to Update School Applications ARRL has made plans to go through the older ARISS school applications in September (when school starts up again). Teachers will be contacted and asked to update their information and to provide schedules of vacations for the school year. ARISS Status May 31, 2004 1. Erie Planetarium Contact Successful The first ARISS contact of Expedition 9 took place on Tuesday, May 25 at 18:01 UTC. The contact was performed via the telebridge station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. During his very first amateur radio contact, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, answered 18 questions asked by the students who gathered at the Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact was very successful and the children applauded and thanked Mike for his time. The ARRL ran a web story on the event entitled, "ARISS School Group Contact a First for Astronaut, Expedition 9." An audio link is provided within the article. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/05/27/8/?nc=1 2. Upcoming School Contact Walton Central High School in Walton, New York has also been scheduled for an ARISS contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The contact will take place on Wednesday, June 2 at 17:57 UTC. It will be performed via the telebridge station, NN1SS at GSFC. The audio will be streamed for this event - to join, go to: https://e-meetings.mci.com Conference # 6448964 Passcode: SPACE STATIO 3. Expedition 8 Crew Debriefing The Expedition 8 crew was interviewed by Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, from the ARISS Russian team on Wednesday, May 12. Expedition 8 commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, returned to the U.S. on May 24, and is scheduled for a crew debriefing with the ISS Ham Technical Team (USA) on Friday, June 4 at 2:15 p.m. ET. The half hour session will allow the team to ask for recommendations to improve school contacts, to ask technical questions concerning the radio systems and to determine computer availability on the ISS. ARISS Status May 24, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts The first ARISS contact with Expedition 9 has been scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact is planned for Tuesday, May 25 at 18:01 UTC, and will be performed via the telebridge amateur radio station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. To join this event, which will be webcast, go to https://e-meetings.mci.com CONFERENCE NUMBER: 6147025 PASSCODE: SPACE STATIO Walton Central High School in Walton, New York has also been scheduled for an ARISS contact with Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. The contact will take place on Wednesday, June 2 at 18:01 UTC. 2. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held their monthly teleconference on May 18. Agenda items discussed included the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meeting to be held in Arlington, Virginia in October 2004. AMSAT is setting aside time for educational presentations and ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer encouraged ARISS members to submit papers to be presented. ARISS officers will be elected at the October meeting for a two year term. Robin Haighton will send out a request for nominations. The Project Selection and Use Committee will meet over the summer to finalize its recommendations by the first week of September. 3. ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee Meeting The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, May 13. The discussion covered recent ARISS contact requests, the Expedition 11 crew and third party agreements, and options for teachers to use to keep interest alive while waiting for their ARISS contact. The minutes have been posted to the ARISS website. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm - May%2013,%202004 4. ARISS International Meeting Minutes and Presentations Posted The minutes, agendas and presentations from the ARISS International Meeting held in the Netherlands in March have been posted to the ARISS section of the AMSAT website. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Meetings/ESTEC2004/ 5. ARISS Submits Proposal to Code T ARISS Program Manager Frank Bauer and ARISS Program Deputy Manager Mark Steiner wrote and submitted a proposal to NASA's Office of Exploration Systems, Code T. The proposal covered the background of the ARISS program, development plans, and the educational benefits of including Amateur Radio in the new Space Exploration Initiative which plans to expand human spaceflight to the moon and Mars, and beyond. ARISS Status May 17, 2004 1. School Contacts to Resume ARISS school contacts will resume the last week of May. Expedition 9 crew's first contact is a crew pick of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and has been scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania. The contact is planned for Tuesday, May 25 at 1801 UTC, and will be performed via the telebridge amateur radio station, VK5ZAI, in Australia. 2. BBC Article on Dr. Gregory Olsen On May 4, the BBC ran a question and answer article on Dr. Gregory Olsen, entitled, "Third Space Tourist." Dr. Olsen is expected to visit the ISS in April 2005. He has expressed interest in training for his Amateur Radio license exam so that he might participate in ARISS school contacts. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3682397.stm 3. ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee Meeting The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, May 13. Minutes from the meeting are being prepared and will be posted to the ARISS website upon completion. 4. ARISS Presentation at Dayton Hamvention 2004 ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, gave a presentation to an audience of two hundred fifty people entitled, "AMSAT's Future Role in Human Spaceflight Exploration -- ARISS, the Moon and Mars" at the Dayton Hamvention 2004 on Saturday, May 15. Hamvention is an annual Amateur Radio trade show, which attracts a large number of Ham enthusiasts. The ARRL and AMSAT participated in the event which was held Friday through Sunday, May 14 - 16 in Dayton, Ohio. 5. Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates Mailed The bulk of the Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event Certificates have been mailed out. The event, which was held from November 29 through the end of December 2003, honored Roy Neal for his hard work and dedication in getting Amateur Radio in space. Anyone who contacted the ISS through either voice (NA1SS) or packet (RS0ISS) during this time is eligible to receive a certificate. See the ARRL article, entitled, "ARISS Roy Neal Commemorative Event Certificates in the Mail" at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/05/11/2/?nc=1 6. Amateur Radio License Training Astronaut Leroy Chiao is scheduled to train at JSC with Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance in early June to prepare for his Amateur Radio license exam. Once he passes the exam and receives his callsign, he will be able to participate in the ARISS program during his flight on board the ISS, as Expedition 10 commander. He is scheduled to fly in October, 2004. 7. ARRL Article on Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, KD5ESI The ARRL ran a web story on the dedication of NASA's new supercomputer, the SGI Altix 3000, to Kalpana Chawla. Chawla lost her life last year in the Columbia STS-107 accident. The article is entitled, "NASA names new supercomputer after lost Columbia astronaut "KC" Chawla, KD5ESI," and can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status May 10, 2004 1. AMSAT/ARISS Planning Meeting On May 1, AMSAT and ARISS team members met to plan the Joint AMSAT/ARISS Meeting to be held October 8-13, 2004 in Arlington, Virginia. A website has been established which includes the agenda, as well as a registration form for the October meetings. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/symposium/2004/index.html 2. Phase 2 Engineering Tests Status Kenneth Ransom, of JSC, met with planners to discuss scheduling the Engineering Tests of the Phase 2 Hardware. It was suggested to break the tests into two parts in order to reduce the amount of time needed for any one day, making it easier to schedule with the Expedition 9 crew. Kenneth will write up the procedures and get them verified so that the tests can be scheduled. The tests will not be run until after the first EVA (to fix the Control Moment Gyro problem) which is currently planned for June 10. 3. Amateur Radio License Training Astronaut Leroy Chaio will receive training from Kenneth Ransom and Nick Lance of JSC in order to prepare him for his Amateur Radio license exam. The training is planned to take place over three weeks in June. Chaio will be the commander and science officer of Expedition 10, which is scheduled to launch in October, 2004. ARISS Status April 26, 2004 1. ESA/ESTEC School Contact Successful The Utilisation Strategy and Education Office of the ESA held a competition, "Zeg het ISS" for primary schools in the Netherlands and the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. The five winning classes gathered at Space Expo, Noordwijk, the Netherlands on Saturday, April 24. At 0750 UTC, the students made contact with Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS. Eighteen questions were asked and answered, and before signing off, the astronaut could hear the applause from the audience. TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers covered the event. Audio of the contact can be found on the ARISS-Europe website. Go to: http://www.ariss-eu.org. 2. Eindhoven School Contact Successful Another ARISS contact was scheduled with Andre Kuipers on April 25 at 0820 UTC. Students from Saltoschool Hanevoet (primary school), Sint Joriscollege (secondary school) and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (university), selected for the radio contact, gathered in the radio room of the Amateur Radio Club of the Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The audience gathered in the university's main hall where they watched on several big screen TVs. At the scheduled time, the operator of PI4TUE, the Radio Club station started calling but got no answer. Kuipers had been working on an experiment and was unable to finish it in time for the contact. After contacting ESA's ground control, it was decided to try again on the next pass at 0955 UTC. This time the contact was successful, and twenty questions were answered. The event was covered by the media, amateur TV, and was webcast over the country. Audio of the contact can be found under the Archives on the ARISS-Europe website. Go to: http://www.ariss-eu.org. 3. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on April 20. Agenda items discussed included a wrap up of the ARISS International Meeting in the Netherlands. Presentations from this meeting are being compiled, and minutes are almost ready for distribution. The two contacts planned with Andre Kuipers were discussed, and the delegates voted to have Rick Lindquist, N1RL, join the ARISS PR Team. Rick is the Senior News Editor of QST, ARRL's monthly magazine. 4. ARRL Articles on New ISS Crew On April 20, ARRL ran a web story on the three astronauts launched into space on the Soyuz vehicle. It is entitled, "Three Radio Amateurs on their Way to the ISS," and can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/20/101/?nc=1 On April 21, ARRL ran another web story on the Expedition 9 crew joining Expedition 8 on board the ISS. The crew transition will take place over the next several days, and Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri, of Expedition 8, along with Andre Kuipers, of the DELTA Mission, will return to Earth on April 29. The article is entitled, "Five hams now aboard ISS." See: http://www.arrl.org/ ARISS Status April 19, 2004 1. Successful Launch of Expedition 9 Crew Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, are now on-orbit as they prepare for docking with the ISS aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Dutch ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS, joined the Expedition 9 crew for an eight day DELTA Mission on board the ISS. Launch occurred at 11:19 pm EDT on April 18. The crew may participate in the engineering tests of the Phase 2 hardware. 2. Articles on Sonoran Sky Contact The Arizona Republic published two articles on the Sonoran Sky Elementary School contact. The first, entitled, " Sonoran Sky students, space station link up," was published on April 6 and can be found at: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0406nespace06.html To view the second article, which was run on April 9, and entitled, "Students have chat with astronaut," see: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0409sr-space09Z8.html The video of the Sonoran Sky contact can be found at: http://epage.pvusd.k12.az.us/siteweb/index.html 3. ARRL Article on Amateur Radio and the Space Exploration Initiative ARRL ran a web story on the Space Exploration Initiative and what part Amateur Radio might play in this endeavor. See the article, entitled, "ARISS to Mull Ham Radio's Role in Distant Space Travel," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/14/1/?nc=1 4. Scheduling of ARISS Contacts Continues for Expedtion 9 Crew In addition to the ARISS contacts with DELTA Mission astronaut Andre Kuipers, planning has begun to schedule contacts with the Expedition 9 crew. The first contact with Expedition 9 has been tentatively scheduled with Erie Planetarium in Erie, Pennsylvania as a telebridge and will take place the week of May 24. ARISS Status April 12, 2004 1. ARRL Article on Saint Mard and Sonoran Sky School Contacts The ARRL ran a web story about the last two ARISS contacts with the two schools in Saint Mard, France on April 1 and Sonoran Sky Elementary School in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 5. The article, entitled, " Astronaut Looking Forward to Returning to Earth, But Not to Gravity," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/07/2/?nc=1 2. Next ARISS Contacts Scheduled with Dutch Astronaut Andre Kuipers The Expedition 8 crew members have completed their contacts with the ARISS program and are preparing for the handover of the ISS to the Expedition 9 crew. The next Soyuz vehicle is scheduled to launch on April 19. Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS, of the DELTA mission, plans to participate in two ARISS contacts during his eight day trip in space. A contact with Saltoschool Hanevoet in Eindhoven, The Netherlands is scheduled for April 24, and a contact with school children at the ESA ESTEC facility in Noordwijk, The Netherlands is scheduled for April 25. 3. Crew Debrief Questions Compiled ARISS member Kenneth Ransom, of JSC has begun to compile questions for the debriefing session with Mike Foale on his return to Earth. Technical questions about the radio systems and any suggestions on improving the school contacts will be included in the debriefing. 4. Follow up Activities from the ARISS International Meetings ARISS delegates continue to follow up on the action items brought up at the ARISS International Meetings in the Netherlands. Presentations from the meetings are also being compiled. ARISS Status April 6, 2004 1. Saint-Mard Schools Contact Successful The two schools of Saint-Mard, "College Georges Brassens of Saint Mard" and the "Jacques Prevert School," both located north of Paris, France experienced a successful contact with Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on April 1. The contact took place at 18:27 UTC. The students' teacher, Jocelyn Raffray, F5CAR relayed ten questions of the students to Foale. The students asking the questions, the technical team and the educational team participating in the contact were located in the radio room during the contact, while the contact was relayed via amateur television to the school's main hall for an audience of 150 students, teachers, parents, and media. 2. Sonoran Sky School Contact Successful The school group contact between Sonoran Sky Elementary, Scottsdale, Arizona and the ISS was a tremendous success. Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, answered 21 questions (22 asked) during the 10 minute ham radio contact. This contact is the final school group contact for Expedition 8. The contact started as scheduled at 1834 UTC. It was a tremendous horizon-to-horizon pass contact with every second utilized wisely. The contact was broadcast live at the school via amateur television where approximately 500 students participated. The contact will then be replayed to the entire Scottsdale School district, which includes 44 schools, 30 elementary schools and 35,000 students. There was significant press at the contact, including Channel 10--Fox news, Channel 3 KTVK, Channel 12 NBC, and the Arizona Republic and Scottsdale Tribune newspapers. 3. ARRL Article on Ham Radio Licensed Astronauts' Promotions On April 2, The ARRL Letter, which is distributed to 165,000 people, published an article about astronauts who are hams who have been promoted to key positions at NASA JSC. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/04/0402/ 4. ARRL Sets up Booth at Science Teachers Association Conference On March 29, ARRL's Mark Spencer went on travel in order to set up and staff a booth at the National Science Teachers Association national conference. He took handout materials and hands-on items to attract the attention of teachers, and thanks NASA for their support. 5. ARISS Delegates Follow-up Activities from ARISS International Meeting With the ARISS International Meeting a tremendous success, the ARISS Delegates are following up the meeting with necessary activities and completion of action items. Rosalie White, ARISS Secretary Treasurer, edited the minutes she took at the ARISS International Meeting held at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. She then debriefed the ARRL Board, her management and ARRL's media branch on news from the meeting. Many of the delegates and committee members are handling action items from the list which was developed at the meetings. 6. Space Tourist Interested in ARISS Program Dr. Gregory Olsen, a scientist who started his own company, Sensors Unlimited, Inc., headed to Star City, Russia last week to begin training for an eight day flight in space. As the next space tourist to take a ride on the Soyuz, Olsen plans to do some research of his own. He has also expressed an interest in the ARISS program and would like to make some school contacts while aboard the ISS. He would like to train for his Amateur Radio license with Nick Lance of JSC. He is scheduled to launch in April, 2005. For more information, see: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/03/29/space.tourist.ap/index.html ARISS Status March 2, 2004 1. Michigan School Contact Successful Armstrong Middle School in Flint, Michigan experienced a successful contact with the ISS on Monday, March 1. Students asked 14 questions of Mike Foale, KB5UAC, before contact was lost. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact has been scheduled with DuBose Middle School in Summerville, South Carolina. The contact has been scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 14:26 UTC. 3. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, February 24. Agenda items discussed included the next face-to-face meeting to be held in the Netherlands later this month, and the new Expedition 9 crew of Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT. Both crew members are licensed Amateur Radio operators, and now need to be trained on the ARISS radio systems and school operations prior to their participation in the ARISS program. 4. Article on James Bay Elementary School Contact JSC's Office of Public Affairs ran an article in their daily "JSC Features" on the ARISS contact with James Bay Elementary School. See: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/articles/000000120.html 5. ISS Ham Equipment Turned Off for EVA On February 26, the ARISS radio systems were cycled off, for safety reasons, during the EVA performed by both Expedition 8 crew members. The radios were scheduled to be turned back on after completion of the spacewalk, at the crew's convenience. ARRL ran an article on February 27 entitled, "Spacewalk ends early." See: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. ARISS International Meeting, Netherlands Preparation for the next ARISS International Meeting has continued. ARISS Delegate Gaston Bertels, who is hosting the meeting, will distribute the agenda once all input has been received. The meeting is scheduled for March 24 -28. February 17, 2004 1. Texas School Contact, a Big Success The James Bay Elementary School ARISS contact on February 4 was a big success. The entire school attended the event and Rhonda Foale spoke to the students about how she keeps in contact with her husband. Commander Scott Kelly and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Julie Payette answered students' questions about space travel, and one of the parents spoke about space suits. An article run by the ARRL, "Astronaut Chats with his Son, Texas Youngsters via Ham Radio," can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/02/12/4/?nc=1 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact has been scheduled for Glenwood Elementary School in Perrysburg, Ohio. This contact will take place on Friday, February 20. Those schools in the Midwest that have a scanner or a ham radio can listen to the ISS downlink on 145.80 MHz FM. 3. Andre Kuipers Receives Training on Radio Systems Dutch ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers received training on the ARISS radio systems and school operations at JSC on Friday, February 13. ARISS members Dave Taylor and Kenneth Ransom provided the training. Kuipers is scheduled to launch into space via a Soyuz rocket on April 19 for the ten day Dutch Expedition for Life science Technology and Atmospheric research (DELTA) mission aboard the ISS. 4. Astronaut Mike Fincke Receives Amateur Radio License Training provided by JSC's Nick Lance and Kenneth Ransom enabled Expedition 9 astronaut Mike Fincke to take and pass his Amateur Radio exam. He will continue to receive training on school operations and on the use of the radio equipment prior to his April launch, so that he may take part in the ARISS program. 5. ARRL Article on Russian Engineering Tests ARRL ran a news story on the Russian engineering tests which were conducted on February 2 between ISS flight engineer, Sasha Kaleri, U8MIR, and Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, to check out the Phase 2 radio system. The event was covered in the Russian magazine, Radio Magazine. The story, entitled, "ARISS-Russia checks out Phase 2 gear" can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/02/11/1/?nc=1 - ARISS 6. ARRL Begins Plans for National Teachers' Conferences Rosalie White, of the ARRL, has been working with NASA Headquarters in planning activities for three upcoming national teacher conferences. She will be giving a presentation next week at the Indiana science teachers' conference. Teachers will receive information on the ARISS program and NASA lesson plans, as well as the NASA lithograph, and ARRL's curriculum. 7. ARRL Article on Next Shuttle Flight ARRL ran an article in their weekly newsletter, The ARRL Letter, entitled, "Six hams set to ride shuttle "Return to Flight" mission." See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/04/0213/ ARISS Status February 10, 2004 1. Articles on U.K. School Contact Mike Foale, KB5UAC, generated much excitement over his January 28 ARISS contact with The King's School. The BBC ran an article on Foale's contact, entitled "Old boy calls school from orbit." To view the article, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3441031.stm The ARRL also ran an article on Foale's contact entitled, "Foale Speaks via Ham Radio to Students at his Alma Mater." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/02/03/1/?nc=1 An audio recording of the contact is available on the ARISS-Europe website. Go to: http://www.ariss-eu.org/. Under Archives, click entry 31/01/2004. Video of the contact can be found at: http://www.g6lvb.com/kings/index.htm 2. Texas School Contact, a Big Success James Bay Elementary School in Houston, Texas made contact with the ISS on Wednesday, February 4. The students asked 18 questions, of which two of these were asked by Mike Foale's son. Audio of the contact is available at http://www.amsatnet.com/audio.html The James Bay entry is located toward the bottom of the page. 3. Expedition 9 Crew Change NASA announced a crew change for Expedition 9. Mike Fincke will replace Leroy Chiao and will be the ISS science officer and flight engineer. Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, will be the Expedition 9 commander. Fincke has expressed interest in earning his Amateur Radio license prior to launch so that he may participate in the ARISS Educational Outreach Program. 4. ARRL Article on Columbia Memorial On February 3, ARRL ran a Web story about NASA dedicating a memorial to the Columbia crew members entitled, "NASA dedicates memorial, Martian landmarks to shuttle Columbia crew." See: http://www.remote.arrl.org/ 5. Phase 1 Hardware Status The ARISS team is taking additional steps to get the Phase 1 packet capability fully operational again. Kenneth Ransom, of JSC, has drafted an email to Mike Foale to inquire as to the status of the computer system on the Phase 1 system in the FGB. 6. Phase 2 Radio System Engineering Checkout Passes ARISS Russian delegate Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, reported that Engineering Checkout tests were run during a pass over Russia on February 2. The ARISS U.S. team is still working on scheduling its pass to checkout the Kenwood Radio System. ARISS Status February 3, 2004 1. U.K. School Contact Successful On January 28, The King's School in Canterbury, England experienced a successful ARISS contact with Mike Foale, KB5UAC. Twelve questions were asked and answered. Students and teachers as well as the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, the school's dignitaries, the RSGB and AMSAT UK representatives were in the audience. Meridian TV, BBC TV, BBC Radio Kent, Invicta Radio, and the Kent Gazette covered the contact, and broadcast the event in their main news. The BBC World Service and the Press Association asked for information and transcripts. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact has been scheduled for James Bay Elementary School in Houston, Texas. This contact will take place on Wednesday, February 4. 3. ARRL Article on Seven Year Old Amateur Radio Operator, Extra Class ARRL ran a Web story on Mattie Clauson, AD7BL, a 7- year- old girl who passed her highest Amateur Radio license exam. She made the announcement via the ARISS packet radio system, RS0ISS. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/29/1/?nc=1 4. ARRL Article on NASA Dedication of Columbia Memorial ARRL ran a Web story about NASA dedicating a memorial to the Columbia STS-107 crew at Arlington National Cemetery. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/28/1/?nc=1#NASA 5. ARRL Article on Columbia Special Event ARRL ran an article on the Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club (NARC) in Texas, which will run a special event to honor the lost Columbia astronauts, recovery workers and volunteers and agencies involved in the disaster recovery effort. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/28/1/?nc=1 - Shuttle 6. Phase 2 Radio System Engineering Checkout Passes ARISS team members have continued with the arrangements and scheduling of the engineering checkout passes. The timeline being considered for the Kenwood Radio System tests is mid to late February. A procedure for the tests has been written and will be uplinked to Mike Foale in the near future. ARISS Status January 27, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Kings School in Canterbury, England. This school was selected by astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and will take place on Wednesday, January 28, 2004. An ARISS contact has also been scheduled for James Bay Elementary School in Houston, Texas. This contact will take place on February 4. 2. ARISS International Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, January 20. Agenda items discussed included the next face-to-face meeting to be held in the Netherlands in March, 2004, and the Expedition 9 crew change which may adversely affect school contacts if Leroy Chiao is not licensed before his launch. Also discussed was a Packet User Service Agreement, which would provide ground based Ham radio operators with guidelines on how to use the ISS packet radio equipment. 3. Expedition 9 Commander May Obtain Amateur Radio License Astronaut Leroy Chiao, who will be replacing William McArthur Jr., KC5ACR, as commander of the Expedition 9 crew on the ISS, has expressed interest in obtaining his Amateur Radio license. He will try to get through training prior to the next Soyuz launch in April. His licensure and training are critical to the continuation of the ARISS school contacts during the Expedition 9 increment. 4. Phase 2 Radio System Engineering Checkout Passes The ARISS team has been unable to schedule ISS Ham engineering passes for the Kenwood radio system voice tests in early February due to the scheduled Progress 13P docking and unpacking. The team is currently looking at the weeks of February 16 - March 15 to schedule their tests. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer and other members of the ARISS team met at GSFC on Saturday, January 17. The team worked on getting the radio station, NN1SS, set up for the engineering passes. ARISS Status January 20, 2004 1. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Kings School in Canterbury, England. This school was selected by astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and will take place on January 28, 2004. An ARISS contact is also being scheduled for James Bay Elementary School in Houston, Texas. This contact is being planned for the first week of February. 2. ARISS International Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Held The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, January 8. Items discussed included negotiating crew time for the ARISS contacts, the Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Special Event, and the next ARISS International Meeting to be held in the Netherlands in March, 2004. Minutes were posted to the ARISS web site. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm - Jan%208%202004 3. ARRL Article on Expedition 9 Crew Change ARRL ran a Web story on the Expedition 9 crew change entitled, "Chiao to Sub for McArthur as Next ISS Commander." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/15/4/?nc=1 4. ARISS Team Plans for Engineering Checkout Passes The ARISS team has been planning two engineering checkout passes which need to be run prior to the use of the Phase 2 Kenwood radio system during school contacts. The plan is to run two tests. One test will be run during a pass over Russia, using Sergej Samburov's radio station, R3K. The other test will be run during a pass over the U.S. in which three U.S. stations, W5RRR at JSC, W5DID in Orlando, and NN1SS at GSFC, will be bridged together by phone, and uplinks will be coordinated through the phone bridge. These tests are tentatively scheduled to take place in February. ARISS Status January 13, 2004 1. Michigan School Contact Cancelled The ARISS contact, which was scheduled with Armstrong Middle School in Flint, Michigan on January 12, was cancelled. The ISS crew was unable to participate due to their activities involved with finding and sealing a crack in the U.S. Destiny module of the ISS. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is being scheduled for Kings School in Canterbury, England. This school was selected by astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and will take place the week of January 26. 3. ARRL Article on Ohio School Contact ARRL ran an article on the ARISS contact with Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio entitled, "Ohio Youngsters Enjoy First ARISS School Group Contact of 2004." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/06/1/?nc=1 4. ARISS International Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Held The ARISS Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee met on Thursday, January 8. Rosalie White set the agenda, moderated the meeting, and drafted minutes for the members to approve. 5. ARRL Article on Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Special Event ARRL ran a Web story about Mike Foale's operating from NA1SS during various weekend passes in December, as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Special Event. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/08/1/?nc=1 6. ARRL Article on Columbia Memorial ARRL ran a Web story on the space shuttle Columbia crew being memorialized on Mars. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/08/1/?nc=1 7. ARISS Paper to be Published ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer received notice that the magazine, CQ, in Japan, will publish the paper written on the Phase 2 Hardware entitled, "Amateur Radio on the International Space Station- Phase 2 Hardware System." The article is to be published in the January 19 edition of the magazine. To view the paper, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Papers/Phase%202%20AGM03Final.pdf ARISS Status January 6, 2004 1. Ohio School Contact Successful On January 2, Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio experienced a successful ARISS contact with astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC. The Gilmour students asked 12 questions of Foale. Fifty people were in the audience during the contact. At least one newspaper and FOX TV covered the event. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Armstrong Middle School in Flint, Michigan. The contact will take place January 12, 2004. 3. ARRL Article on Foale's Contacts for Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event ARRL published an article entitled, "ISS Commander Gets on the Air with New Ham Gear," in their weekly ARRL Letter. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/04/0102/ 4. ARISS Paper to be Published ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer, received an inquiry from the magazine, CQ VHF to publish the paper written on the Phase 2 Hardware entitled, "Amateur Radio on the International Space Station- Phase 2 Hardware System." The magazine, CQ VHF, is a USA-based Amateur Radio magazine that caters to Amateur Radio development and operations at VHF frequencies and above. The paper and photos were submitted and will be published in the winter edition of CQ VHF. To view the paper, see: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Papers/Phase%202%20AGM03Final.pdf ARISS Status December 30, 2003 1. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio. The contact will take place Friday, January 2, 2004. 2. ARRL Article on California School Contact On December 23, ARRL ran an article on the Monroe Elementary School ARISS contact entitled, "ISS Commander Tells West Coast Youngsters He Believes Life Exists on Other Planets." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/23/1/?nc=1 3. ARRL Article Involving Astronaut Jim Voss ARRL ran a Web story about the effort involved in setting up an Amateur Radio station for the Gulf Coast Exploreum and Science Center's ISS exhibit in Mobile, Alabama entitled, "An Out of this World Effort." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/12/22/1/?nc=1 4. ARRL Article on the International Space Station ARRL ran an article entitled, "Santa Has Company in the Christmas Sky." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/22/2/?nc=1 5. ARRL Story on Ham Radio Payloads and High-Altitude Balloons ARRL ran an article about a program NASA-TV will air about Amateur Radio payloads and high altitude ballooning. Arizona Near Space Research (ANSR), whose goal is to promote science and education, noted that their program will air December 29 and 30. For more information, see: http://www.arrl.org/ 6. Packet Radio System Amateur Radio operators have been very active on the Packet Radio system (RS0ISS) on the International Space Station. Those that have communicated through the ISS using packet also qualify to receive a special certificate from the Roy Neal Commemorative event. The Roy Neal Commemorative event will continue until the end of 2003. ARISS Status December 23, 2003 1. California School Contact Successful Monroe Elementary School in Santa Barbara, California experienced a successful ARISS contact with astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, on December 17, 2003. Sixteen students asked two questions each of Foale during the 10 minute pass. An audience of 150 - 200 people observed the contact, including students, teachers, parents, and press. Two TV stations as well as The Santa Barbara News Press covered the event. 2. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio. The contact will take place Friday, January 2, 2004. 3. ARRL Article on Niebull, Germany School Contact ARRL ran an article on December 19, on the ARISS contact with the Berufliche Schule des Kreises Nordfriesland in Niebull, Germany, entitled "German School Group Enjoys Successful ARISS Contact." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/19/1/?nc=1 4. ARISS Representative Elected President ARISS Canadian representative Daniel Lamoreux was elected president of Canada's Amateur Radio national society. ARRL covered this in a Web story on December 17. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/17/2/?nc=1 - Radio 5. Brazilian Boy Scouts and LABRE to Sponsor ARISS Projects The ARISS team heard from our Brazilian volunteers that the Boy Scouts of Brazil made an agreement with LABRE (the Brazilian national Amateur Radio society) whereby both groups will sponsor ARISS projects in Brazil, and help with promotion to schools and other ham radio groups. 6. Foale Makes Contacts for Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event Mike Foale made many contacts using the Kenwood radio this past weekend. The amateur radio community in Australia, Europe and the USA reported that Mike was on the air over the weekend making contacts. For more information, see the ARRL article entitled "ISS Gets on the Air with New Ham Gear" at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/22/3/?nc=1 ARISS Status December 16, 2003 1. McCall-Donnelly School District Contact Successful On Tuesday, December 9, 2003, astronaut Barbara Morgan, KD5VNP, (Shuttle STS-118 Mission) made a successful terrestrial contact with students from the McCall-Donnelly School District in McCall, Idaho. She spoke with them for two hours via Amateur Radio. Photos of Morgan at the radio in JSC's Amateur Radio Club may be viewed at: http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/anderson/HamRadioMcall/HamRadioMcall.html 2. Germany School Contact Successful Astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, had a successful ARISS contact with the students of Berufliche Schule des Kreises Nordfriesland in Niebull, Germany on December 12, 2003. The educational callsign, DN0BSN, of the school's Amateur Radio station, DL0NIB, was used for the contact. Sixteen students asked 16 questions of Foale during the 10 minute pass. An audience of 150 students, parents and teachers attended the event. One radio station and two newspapers covered the contact. 3. Upcoming School Contacts The next ARISS contact is scheduled for Monroe Elementary School in Santa Barbara, California. The contact will take place Wednesday, December 17, 2003. 4. ARRL Article on Dresden, Germany School Contact ARRL ran a web story on December 9, 2003 on the ARISS contact with the technical high school, Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik, DL0IKT, entitled, "ISS Commander Talks with German Student-Amateurs." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/09/2/?nc=1 5. ARRL Article on First ISS Contacts for Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event On December 9, 2003, ARRL ran an article entitled, " Expedition 8 Commander Makes First QSOs for ARISS Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/09/1/?nc=1 6. ARRL Article on Ham Astronaut Mike Foale ARRL ran an article on Mike Foale, KB5UAC, entitled, " NASA astronaut breaks US space endurance record." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/10/3/?nc=1 - NASA 7. Installation of Phase 2 Hardware The Phase 2 Kenwood Radio System was installed on December 8, 2003. Although the yellow tags were removed initially, and the hardware was activated, the hardware has been powered off and the yellow tags returned to the hardware pending the resolution of one safety issue. This issue concerns the Yaesu Radio System's maximum output power and the EVA stay-out zone which needs to be recalculated based on 100W. Once this is resolved by NASA and Energia, the hardware should be reactivated and available for use. For more information on the installation of the Phase 2 Hardware, see ARRL's article entitled, "Phase 2: Ham Radio in Space Reaches Another Milestone," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/10/4/?nc=1 8. Expedition 7 Debriefing On December 9, 2003, Expedition 7 crew member, Ed Lu, was debriefed on his experience with the ARISS program. He answered several questions concerning operations and hardware. His overall impression of the program was positive. 9. ARRL Videotapes Show on ARRL Headquarters ARRL hosted volunteers from Massachusetts, videotaping a show about ARRL Headquarters, including their work involving ARISS. ARRL plans to make the videotape available at cost to their 2000 ARRL-affiliated clubs. 10. ARRL to Participate at Upcoming Educator Conference ARRL held discussions with NASA Headquarters about ARRL's participation at the Houston Educators Conference. ARISS Status December 9, 2003 1. Germany School Contact Successful On December 5, 2003, the technical high school, Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik, DL0IKT, in Dresden, Germany experienced a very successful ARISS contact with astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC. The seven students who asked questions of Foale, had planned for this day by taking a course which prepared them for their licensing exam. On September 27, 2003, they passed their amateur radio exam, received their amateur radio license, and were ready for their contact. They were able to ask and have answered 14 questions over the ten minute pass. An audience of teachers, the principal, and 70 other students, as well as a representative of the Ministry of Education witnessed the contact. Two TV and 4 radio stations, as well as 2 newspapers covered the event. 2. Upcoming School Contacts ARISS contacts have been scheduled for McCall-Donnelly School District in McCall, Idaho on December 9, 2003, and for Berufliche Schule des Kreises Nordfriesland in Niebull, Germany on December 12, 2003. 3. ARISS International Team Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on Tuesday, December 2, 2003.The primary agenda item discussed was the recent trip to Moscow, and the testing and certification status of the Phase 2 hardware. 4. ARRL Article About Hams on Next Shuttle (STS-114) Mission ARRL ran a Web story on December 3, 2003 entitled, "Six hams set to ride shuttle 'Return to Flight' mission." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/03/4/?nc=1 - Six 5. Roy Neal, K6DUE, ISS Commemorative Event The ARISS team has learned that Mike Foale, KB5UAC, was unable to take part in the Roy Neal, K6DUE, ISS Commemorative Event over the November 29 - 30 weekend due to his extremely busy schedule. He was however, active during a North America and Europe pass on Saturday, December 6. Many amateur radio operators made contact with Foale and will earn a special ISS Commemorative Certificate. The commemorative event will continue through December. 6.ARRL Articles on Roy Neal, K6DUE, Commemorative Event On December 2, 2003, ARRL posted an article on the Web entitled "Expedition 8 Crew a No-Show for ARISS Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event Opening." See:http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/02/2/?nc=1 7. ARRL ran an article on December 5, 2003 entitled, "Expedition 8 Crew Might be On the Air for ARISS Roy Neal, K6DUE, Event." See:http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/05/3/?nc=1 8. Phase 2 Hardware Status Sergej Samburov, RV3DR has reported that the installation of the Phase 2 Kenwood radio could occur as early as Monday December 8. Once this hardware is installed and the team gets permission to begin operations, we expect the equipment to be activated. ARISS Status December 7, 2003 K6DUE ISS Commemorative Event Astronaut Mike Foale was active during a North America and Europe pass on Saturday December 6. Numerous ham radio operators in these parts of the world made contact with Mike Foale or heard the ISS downlink. Those who heard or worked the ISS qualify for a special ISS Commemorative Certificate. Instructions on receiving an ISS special event certificate follows: 1) Please send an 9 inch by 12 inch (minimum) envelope for your certificate with adequate postage or IRCs included. Smaller envelopes will result in your certificate getting folded (not a pretty sight). 2) Include your name, callsign and whether you worked ISS or heard ISS. 3) Send your QSL/SWL information with the envelope to your ARISS QSL distributor in your area (Americas, Europe, Japan, or Russia). See the ARISS Web Page for more details: www.rac.ca/ariss Please note that this process will take several weeks. The plan is to get a bulk listing of QSLs/SWLs so that the calls can be added to the certificate prior to printing. We will then bulk mail these certificates to the QSL distributors. The distributors will then mail the certificates to you. It is not clear whether we will have another voice opportunity with Mike Foale next weekend. We will keep you informed as we get more details. Phase 2 Hardware Sergej Samburov, RV3DR reports that the installation of the Phase 2 Kenwood radio could occur as early as Monday December 8. Once this hardware is installed and the team gets permission to begin operations, we expect the equipment to be activated. There is still one safety issue regarding output power and EVA stay-out zones that needs to be resolved before the equipment can be activated. Once this is closed by NASA and Energia, we should get permission to use the hardware. There are several advantages to getting this hardware operational. 1) The Kenwood radio is being installed in the Service Module and will use one of the 4 ARISS antennas located on the back end of the Service Module. The radio station will be located near the dinner table and near the Service Module window. This prime location will allow the crew to more conveniently use the ISS Ham radio system. 2) Another advantage is that the Kenwood D700 radio has a built-in packet system. So the reconfiguration of the existing Phase 1 packet system can occur in parallel with the use of the Phase 2 Kenwood D700 packet system. Details on the ARISS Phase 2 Hardware System is detailed in the AMSAT Symposium Paper: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Papers/Phase%202%20AGM03Final.pdf 73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS Status December 2, 2003 1. South Australia School Contact Successful Renmark Primary School in Renmark, South Australia experienced a successful contact with Michael Foale, KB4UAC, on November 25, 2003. Foale was impressed with how the contact was handled, not only with the children and their questions, but also with the professionalism of the ARISS team. For more information on this contact, see ARRL's web story, "Expedition 8 Commander Enjoys First School Group QSO," at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/11/25/2/?nc=1 2. Upcoming School Contacts ARISS contacts have been scheduled for Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik, in Dresden, Germany on December 5, 2003, and McCall-Donnelly School District in McCall, Idaho on December 9, 2003. 3. Roy Neal, K6DUE, ISS Commemorative Event ARISS had planned a special event activity honoring Roy Neal, K6DUE, and his dedication to Amateur Radio in space, which was to start the weekend of November 29 - 30, and to continue throughout December. The Expedition 8 crew members were to participate in the event and those Amateur Radio operators who made contact with the ISS were to receive a special certificate. Many Amateur Radio operators were listening, but the Expedition 8 crew members were not available. For more information on the event planned, see: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/11/26/3/?nc=1 ARISS Status November 25, 2003 1. Upcoming Schools ARISS contacts have been scheduled for Renmark Primary School in Renmark, South Australia on Tuesday, November 25, and for Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik, in Dresden, Germany on December 5, 2003. 2. TIM in Moscow The end-to-end testing of the Kenwood radio system and the SSTV system with the ARISS antenna systems, in the flight-backup Service Module located at Energia, was completed. The tests all went well and the paperwork signature process has started to clear the Kenwood radio and SAREX 70 cm radio for use in the Service Module with the new ARISS antennas. It is our hope that this will be completed by December 8. 3. ARRL Article on ISS Anniversary ARRL ran a web story entitled "International Space Station Marks Five Years in Space." It included highlights on how the ISS is home to the first permanent Amateur Radio station in space, NA1SS. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/11/20/2/?nc=1 4. ARISS International Educational Outreach Committee Meeting Held The ARISS International Educational Outreach/School Selection Committee held its bi-monthly meeting moderated by Rosalie White. Rosalie prepared minutes that have been posted to the ARISS Web site. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissschm.htm - November%2013,%202003 ARISS Status November 18, 2003 1. Upcoming Schools An ARISS contact has been scheduled with Renmark Primary School in Renmark, South Australia. The contact will take place on Tuesday, November 25. 2. TIM in Moscow A contingent of U.S. ARISS team members are currently attending the Technical Interchange Meeting which is being held in Moscow (November 10 -20). Equipment is being tested at the KIS facility at Energia. 3. ARISS Announces Plans for Roy Neal, K6DUE, ISS Commemorative Event ARISS will be sponsoring a special event activity with the ISS crew. Hams who contact the ISS by voice or packet during November 29 - 30 and through December 2003, will receive a special anniversary certificate commemorating Roy Neal, K6DUE, and his work to put amateur radio in space. For more information, see the ARRL article: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/11/11/1/?nc=1 ARISS Status November 11, 2003 1. U.S. Astronaut to get Ham Radio License ARISS team members are working with astronaut Mike Fincke (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF), who is scheduled to be a crew member of Expedition 11, to enable him to get his Ham radio license. Nick Lance at NASA JSC will provide the training. 2. ARISS International Team Teleconference The ARISS International Team held a teleconference on Tuesday November 4, 2003. Agenda items discussed included the next two face to face meetings. The first is to be held at ESA ESTEC, Netherlands from March 25 - 28, 2004. The second meeting will be held in the Washington, D.C. area in October, 2004, following the AMSAT- NA's annual meeting which will also be held in the D.C. area. Joint activities are being planned. Also discussed was the KIS certification testng in Energia, RSC and the upcoming Moscow trip. 3. Phase 2 Hardware Shipped to Moscow Two Yaesu FT-100 radios and tuners are being shipped from California to Moscow. Shipment may take 2 - 4 weeks. Certification testing will take place in Energia, Russian Space Center. 4. Website Project to Enable Students to Speak with ESA Astronaut by Radio Dutch ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers is scheduled to serve as flight engineer on the next Soyuz flight to the ISS. ESA has organized a Dutch website project which will allow students to talk to Kuiper by radio while on board the ISS. ARISS Status October 28, 2003 1. Ourense, Spain School Contact Successful The Ourense, Spain school contact on October 23 was very successful. A group of 75 children and 25 parents gathered at Ceip Seixalbo school as ESA astronaut Pedro Duque answered sixteen questions in Spanish using the ARISS radio system. All nationwide radio, TV broadcasters, and newspapers were present. 2. ARRL Article on Expedition 8 Images On October 17, ARRL ran a Web story entitled "Interactive Expedition 8 Images Featured on NASA Web site." See: http://www.arrl.org/ 3. ARRL Article on New Ham Crew ARRL posted an October 17 Web story entitled "New Two-Ham ISS Crew Set to Head into Space." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/17/2/?nc=1 4. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer Presents Paper at AMSAT Space Symposium AMSAT-NA's Annual Meeting and Space Symposium was held on October 18-19, 2003 in Toronto, Canada. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, presented a paper describing the capabilities of the new Phase 2 hardware. For more information go to: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Presentations/AMSAT03.pdf and http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/22/2/?nc=1 5. ARRL Article on Five Hams in Space ARRL ran an October 21 Web story entitled "Five Hams Now Aboard International Space Station" about the three ham radio operator-astronauts that arrived at the ISS over the weekend to join the Expedition 7 crew. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/21/100/?nc=1 6. ARRL Celebrates Anniversaries of Ham Radio in Space Rosalie White wrote an article commemorating the 20th anniversary of Amateur Radio in space (on Spacelab-1) and the 15th anniversary of Amateur Radio on Mir which was published in the November issue of ARRL's monthly journal. 7. NASA's EdCats Progress NASA re-opened the 2003 EdCats database for the ARISS program, and Rosalie White has continued to make progress in getting schools to complete the EdCats evaluation forms. The FY03 data input is now complete. Of 43 schools for FY03, all but 2 schools input their data into the EdCats system. ARISS Status October 21, 2003 1. Successful Launch of Expedition 8 Crew Expedition 8 Commander, and NASA Station Science Officer, Michael Foale, KB5UAC and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, U8MIR are now on-orbit as they prepare for docking with the ISS aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Launch occurred early in the morning on October 18, 2003. They are scheduled to install the first portion of the Phase II hardware. 2. TIM in Moscow Plans are going well for the Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) to be held in Moscow November 10 - 20. Equipment testing is being planned at the KIS facility at Energia. 3. Safety Teleconference Held Lou McFadin, Claire Fredlund and Carolynn Conley participated in a Safety Review Panel meeting for an ISS Russian integrated hazard report addressing non-ionizing radiation. An increase in transmitter power, while in packet mode, was discussed as a potential hazard. It is of concern due to the potential injury to a crew member during an EVA while in the vicinity of the ISS Ham antennas. Energia will revise the exclusion-zone calculations using 100 watts output power (as compared to the planned 25 watt capability). ARISS Status October 14, 2003 1. ARISS Lithograph Finalized Marissa Harper has made the final changes to the NASA developed ARISS lithograph. It is to be submitted for printing on Tuesday, 10/14/03. 2. Brazilian Aerospace Museum to Install Ham Station ARISS Brazilian team member Tadeu Fernandes is working with the aerospace museum in Afonso Air Base, Brazil to install a ham radio station in the museum. It will be used to listen to ARISS contacts. 3 Brazilian Astronaut to get Ham Radio License Rosalie White is working with the ARISS Brazilian team to enable astronaut Marcos Pontes to get his U.S. Ham radio license, so that he may fully participate in ARISS. Nick Lance at NASA JSC will lead the U.S. license training for Marcos. 4. ARISS Team Continues to work on Packet Radio Issues ARRIS Russia was unable to perform testing of Packet Radio System due to a lack of power supplies for their computer systems. It was suggested that U.S. write a proposal giving crew members permission to use U.S. computers for testing. This action is in work. 5. Upcoming School Contacts ESA astronaut Pedro Duque, who expects to fly on the upcoming Soyuz flight to ISS, is scheduled to initiate ARISS contacts with Ceip Seixalbo School in Ourense, Spain on October 23,2003, and Verbum Casa das palabras in Vigo, Spain on October 26, 2003. ********************** ARISS Status October 7, 2003 1. Expedition 8 & 9 Crew Training in Russia ARISS Russian delegate Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, completed the final training with the Expedition 8 crew, Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri at the Energia Facility on September 29. Expedition 9 crew training was planned to be completed on September 30. The crew training provided an excellent opportunity to develop and hone a substantial draft of the Kenwood, Phase 2 hardware on-orbit flight data files. Kudos to Sergej for an outstanding and very comprehensive effort!! 2. Nova Scotia School Project to Develop Exciting New ARISS Web Page Capabilities Wayne Haraimovitch, VE1WPH, and Canada delegate, Ken Pulfer, VE3PU are leading the development of new ARISS Web Page capabilities. Through an educational outreach collaboration with the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, a student project to enhance the ARISS Web Site has been started. Expectations are for this school project to be completed at the end of the year. 3. ARRL Article on Japan School Interview with Ed Lu ARRL wrote and published a Web story on the Kagawa, Japan, ARISS school contact. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/01/3/?nc=1 4. Ham Radio Voice Contacts Astronaut Ed Lu has e-mailed down that he has made a handful of voice radio contacts with ham radio operators on the ground over the past few weeks. The following radio amateurs, all in the United States, have made contact with the ISS, as confirmed by Ed: KF4LGA, WB8OTH, N8DZM & KG4IIE. 5. Don Petit's Visit to DC Area School gets ARRL Publicity ARRL published a news item on Don Petit's "Blast Back to School" See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/02/1/?nc=1 ******************************** ARISS Status September 30 2003 1. Expedition 7 School Contacts Come to a Close With the Expedition 7 mission nearing completion, the school group contacts have come to a close. The ARISS team will now wait for the Expedition 8 crew to initiate contacts sometime in November. The ARISS team successfully completed 18 worldwide contacts with school groups and astronaut Ed Lu. The ARISS international team extends a big thank you to the ISS flight operations team and to astronaut Ed Lu for inspiring thousands of students as part of the ARISS program. 2. Webster School Contact, Webster, NY, Follow-up ARRL posted a Web story about Ed Lu speaking via ham radio to students at his old high school, Webster Thomas HS, Webster NY. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/09/19/101/?nc=1 3. Cornell School Contact Follow-up News articles, audio and video of the Cornell school group contact is available at the Cornell Radio Club Web site: http://w2cxm.mae.cornell.edu/ISS 4. NASA's EdCats Evaluation Form Progress Rosalie White from the ARRL has made significant progress in getting the last of the schools to complete the EdCats evaluation form prior to the end of the US government fiscal year (October 1). This has been a great team effort between the schools, the ARISS mentors and Rosalie. NASA HQ plans to archive the data from this past year in the very near future. 5. ARISS International Team Teleconference The ARISS International Team held their monthly teleconference on Tuesday September 23. Agenda items discussed included the next face-to-face meeting (which will be held at ESA ESTEC, Netherlands, in late March), the hardware development status (Kenwood, Phase 2 system and the SSTV system), the status of the on-board packet radio system, a report from the Project Selection and Use committee and ARISS Europe news. 6. German Students pass amateur radio license exam as part of their ARISS preparation activities Seven students from the school "Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik" in Dresden, Germany passed their amateur radio exam on the 27th of September 2003. Congratulations to the students!!! Also, thanks to ARISS Europe mentor Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ, for his outstanding efforts as the ARISS mentor of this school. 7. ARISS Brazilian Team The Brazilian ARISS Team and Rosalie White from the ARRL networked to further plan on how to interest the Brazilian astronaut in future ARISS activities. ********************** ARISS status Sept 23, 03 1. ARISS Display Supporting Rural Expo 2003 event in Canada The Rural Expo 2003 event in Canada included an ARISS display to pique school educators and students on space and on ARISS. All schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (larger than Prince Edward Island) were invited and were encouraged to bring their classes, from Kindergarten to OAC. Rural Expo attracted over 85 000 visitors, and there was a steady flow every day, except Friday when the operation was closed before Isabel came through. 2. Kawaga, Japan school contact successful The Kagawa, Japan school contact on September 20 was extremely successful. 13 students asked 15 questions to Ed Lu on ISS. This was the first contact in Yamaguchi Pref. There was significant media support in Japan, including HNK TV and a local FM station that transmitted the live audio. Photos from the event can be seen in the News story on this page. This represents the last school contact for the Expedition 7 crew. 3. Punahou School contact, Honolulu, Hawaii Successful The ARISS team chalked up another successful school contact on September 15. The Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii had a great contact with astronaut Ed Lu using the ARISS radio system. 4. Webster School Contact, Webster, NY Successful Webster High School Students, Webster, NY had a very successful ARISS dialogue with Astronaut Ed Lu on ISS. The school students and staff were ecstatic with the results of the contact. It was very special to them having spoken to a successful graduate from their high school. (this was a crew picked school) There was TV coverage on Channels 8, 10, community channel 15 and the school closed circuit TV. Most students were enthusiastically watching the program on their class room TV monitor. There was also press exposure in the D&C, Webster Post, Student news, School news and other newspapers. ***A local newspaper article and picture is at: *** http://www.rochesterdandc.com/news/09119S1PABU_edlu11_news.shtml 5. MSNBC Article on Slow Scan TV---Latest ARISS Hardware Development MSNBC was done a great article on the SSTV system to be delivered to the ISS early next year. See: http://www.msnbc.com/news/962313.asp 6. Special QST Article Commemorating 20th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on the Space Shuttle and 15th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Mir Rosalie White from the ARRL finalized an article for the November QST on the 20th anniversary of Amateur Radio on the space shuttle, and the 15th anniversary of Amateur Radio on Mir. 7. German Students to take amateur radio license exam as part of their ARISS preparation activities The students of the school "Berufliches Schulzentrum Elektrotechnik" in Dresden, Germany, DL0IKT (german educative licence: DN2UDX) will take their amateur radio exam on the 27th of September 2003. Good luck to the students (our the future radio amateurs and future space explorers)!!! 8. ARISS Lithograph Nearing Completion Frank Bauer and Rosalie White reviewed the NASA-developed ARISS lithograph. They noted corrections and have sent these changes to the NASA-HQ team responsible for final production (Marisa Harper). 9. ARISS Team Still Working Packet Radio Issues ARISS Team Members in the US and Russia are continue to work the Packet Radio issues that have rendered the packet system useless for 260 days. A third attempt to correct the packet issue was delivered to ARISS Russia for uplink to the crew. This new procedure will reset the PROM-based software and hopefully correct this problem. The ARISS-US team has been extremely grateful to the ARISS-Russia team for their hard work and operations support. Thanks to ARISS Chair Frank Bauer KA3HDO