Archived ARISS status reports *********************** December 26, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the Historical Museum of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland on Saturday, December 31 at 14:04 UTC. This year the museum celebrates the 400th anniversary of the birth of astronomer Johannes Hevelius. On display are exhibitions which represent Hevelius' achievements and research instruments. Other presentations showcase modern space exploration. Students from several Gdansk schools will participate in the ARISS contact. 2. Rome Contact Successful On Monday, December 19, students from Teodoro Mommsen Middle School in Rome, Italy spoke with Astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Telebridge station LU1CGB in Buenos Aires, Argentina handled the radio link. Nearly 80 students attended the event and listened as Burbank fielded sixteen questions about living in a micro-gravity environment. The school, located in the “Appio-Latino” district in the south of Rome, has an enrollment of 800 students, ages 11 – 13. To view contact video, see: http://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia/video?clipId=pla_47be5d99-fe7a-4b1a-967c-e58fabbb97aa 3. ARISS Sets New Events Record The ARISS contact held with Kobe, Japan was number 121 for 2011 and equals the most number of events done in a calendar year (set in 2009). The Teodoro Mommsen Middle School contact held on Monday, December 19 was number 122 and set a new record for the number of events conducted in a single calendar year. 4. ARISS International Teleconference Held The monthly ARISS International Team teleconference was held on Tuesday, December 20. It was announced that Rosalie White will step down as the U.S. representative and chairman of the ARISS-International Educational Outreach and School Selection Committee. She will be replaced by Frank Bauer. The ARISS status on filing with the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) was given and an update on the HamTV project, which may include a video beacon, was also provided. Minutes have been posted. See: http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2011-12-20.htm 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS Amateur Radio Newsline posted a few items related to ARISS in its December 23 report #1793 under the heading “Ham Radio in Space.” The first story is about new crew members Don Pettit, KD5MDT, Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX and Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS flying to the ISS this past week. The second story gives a new prediction of when ARISSat will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. “Three Astro-Hams Headed to the ISS” and “ARISSat-1 Mission May End December 31” may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 6. ARRL QST Covers ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) January 2012 QST coverage of ARISS items are: "It Seems to Us," written each month by CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, is titled this month "The Year Ahead" and covers what's expected for 2012. Dave lists World Amateur Radio Day on April 18, 2012, when this year's theme will be "Amateur Radio Satellites: Celebrating 50 Years in Space." Dave says we'll celebrate the launch of the first OSCAR satellite that "was followed by an even greater thrill in 1983 when radio amateurs the world over spoke with Owen Garriott, W5LFL, as he orbited the Earth aboard STS-9." The "Media Hits” column mentions the ARISS school, Holy Family Catholic School, in Grand Junction, CO. A good newspaper story ran in the Grand Junction Sentinel when reporters attended a demonstration put on by students of on-the-air amateur radio moonbounce operations. The "In Brief" column listed the crew members, including Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX, who had joined the crew on the ISS. *********************** December 19, 2011 1. Kobe, Japan Contact Successful On Monday, December 12, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between the Hirano Branch of Kobe Youth Nurturing Council in Kobe-city, Hyogo-pref, Japan and Astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX on the ISS. The contact highlighted lessons covering the ISS and the environment. An audience of approximately 50 people attended the event. Media coverage included two newspapers. 2. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office recently announced a new proposal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 30, 2012 for contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 – January 15, 2013 timeframe. The next informational session will be held on Wednesday, January 11 at 3 pm CST to answer any questions concerning the proposal process. To attend the session or to have questions answered, contact TFS at JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-1919. For more information, visit the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html 3. ARISS-U.S. Proposal Process Makes the News A NASA Express message which included an item on ARISS contact opportunities for U.S. schools using the proposal process was sent on December 8. The message may be viewed on the NASA blog: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/newui/blog/viewpostlist.jsp?blogname=educationexpress The NASA Educators Online Network (NEON) posted a link to its ARISS article, “Holiday Ham for NASA.” See: http://nasatalk.com/blog/article/bylines/67-dynae-fullwood/1629-holiday-ham-for-nasa.html The Hartford Hobby Radio Examiner published the story, “Schools can apply for space station radio chats.” http://www.examiner.com/hobby-radio-in-hartford/school-applications-welcome-for-space-station-contacts 4. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS The December 18 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-352) talks about crewmembers Don Pettit, KD5MDT, Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX and Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS who are preparing to launch to the ISS on December 21. The item, “Soyuz Preparations Continue for Three Ham Crew Launch to ISS” may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000576.html 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS Amateur Radio Newsline posted a few items related to ARISS in its December 16 report #1792. The story, “Ham Radio and Scouting: JOTA 2011 A Big Success” talks about the nearly 3000 scouts who took part in this year’s Jamboree on the Air event. Mark Hammond is a “name in the news” in the article, “N8MH Named AMSAT-NA VP of Educational Relations.” Both stories may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 6. ARISS Status on Social Media This is a reminder that ARISS news is available on Twitter and Facebook. ARISS has over 200 active users on Facebook and over 800 followers on Twitter. See: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amateur-Radio-on-the-International-Space-Station-ARISS/153679794647788 and http://twitter.com/#!/ARISS_status *********************** December 12, 2011 1. Canadian School Contact Successful On Monday, December 5, students attending Nuvviti School in Ivujivik Nunavik Quebec, Canada participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX. Station WH6PN in Hawaii provided the radio connection. This was Burbank’s first contact and most of the community came out for the event, with approximately 200 students and parents present. The radio activity was incorporated into lessons on space and radio communications and was sponsored by First Air and the Makivik Corporation. 2. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office recently announced a new proposal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 30, 2012 for contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 – January 15, 2013 timeframe. The next informational session will be held on Tuesday, December 13 at 9 am CST (1500 UTC) to answer any questions concerning the proposal process. To attend the session or to have questions answered, contact TFS at JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-1919. For more information, see the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html 3. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS On Sunday, December 11, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-345) posted a status on the ISS Shadow Experiment titled, “ISS Sp-Ex Shadow Beacon Experiment Postponed to May-June 2012.” The bulletin also announced that Mark Hammond, N8MH is now the AMSAT VP of Educational Outreach. The stories may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000574.html 4. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On December 9, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1791 posted a story about the Russian Shadow Experiment being delayed until new equipment is launched to the ISS. The article is titled, “Ham Radio in Space: ISS Shadow Beacon Experiment Postponed.” Another item included in the report is about news coverage of the next Soyuz (ISS 29S) launch later this month: “NASA to Cover all Aspects of Next Crew to ISS Live.” Both items may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 5. Astronaut Training Status Astronauts Suni Williams, KD5PLB and Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI will be given a final ARISS training session in January prior to their launch for Expedition 32 in May 2012. *********************** December 5, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Nuvviti School in Ivujivik Nunavik, Quebec, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, December 5 at 18:10 UTC via station WH6PN in Hawaii. Students have formed a space club and are learning about the ISS via videos, the internet and guest speakers. They are also learning about correct radio usage and protocol and are working on science-related projects that they will display in the gym. First Air and the Makivik Corporation are sponsors of the contact. 2. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office recently announced a new proposal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 30, 2012 for contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 – January 15, 2013 timeframe. TFS has received several inquiries and proposals are already coming in. An informational session will be held on Wednesday, December 7 at 12 PM CST (1800 UTC) to answer any questions concerning the proposal process. To attend the session or to have questions answered, contact TFS at JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-1919. For more information, see the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html Also see the ARRL article (includes dates for future information sessions): http://www.arrl.org/news/apply-now-to-host-a-real-time-conversation-with-crewmembers-onboard-the-iss 3. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS On Sunday, December 4, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-338) included a status on ARISSat-1. “ARISSat-1/KEDR Orbit Losing 1.5 KM Per Day” may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000572.html 4. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISS On December 2, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1790 posted a story about ARISSat re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The article, “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Approaching Last Days On-Orbit,” may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** November 28, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts No Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts are planned at this time. The ARISS team expects contacts to resume next week. 2. ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting Minutes Posted The ARISS International Face-to-Face meeting was held in Houston on October 28 – 29. Minutes have been completed and posted. See: http://ariss.rac.ca/ARISS International Annual Meeting 2011-Houston 1119.doc.doc 3. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS The following ARISS-related items may be found in the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-331), posted on Sunday, November 27: “Next Proposal Cycle for US Based ARISS School Contacts Opens” “14 Year-old Co-ordinates ARISS Contact for Her School” “ISS Expedition 29 Astronaut Hams Land Safely” Also included were reminders for the certificate available for ARISSat reception and the "Who Will Catch the Last Telemetry From ARISSat-1/KEDR" contest. Both can be found under the heading, “Satellite Shorts From All Over.” To view all stories, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000570.html 4. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On November 25, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1789 posted two stories about ARISS under the heading, “Ham Radio in Space.” The first item is titled “ISS Active Again on UHF Packet” and the second story talks about the Shadow Experiment in “Hams Asked to Help in ISS Plasma Experiment.” Both items may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** November 21, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts New crew members docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday, November 16. School contacts will resume in a few weeks after the crew has had a chance to get oriented and settled into their new surroundings. 2. Fourteen Year Old Coordinates ARISS Contact for her School On Monday, November 14, students from A.S.J. Memorial High School in Thetford Mines, Québec, Canada participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG on the ISS. A 14 year old girl coordinated the contact with some help from her father and support from her math teacher. She also acted as radio operator during the event, which was attended by approximately 350 people, including local and regional media. After the contact, she received a standing ovation from her fellow students and senior provincial members of parliament have asked her, along with her team, to attend the provincial legislature to be recognized for her efforts. CBC Radio Canada conducted an interview with the student and her teacher. The audio is available at this URL: http://www.cbc.ca/breakaway/thetford-mines/2011/11/17/students-in-thetford-mines-speak-to-an-astronaut-in-space/ 3. JSC Students Contact ISS Via Radio Interns and co-ops from Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas participated in a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 15 via radio station VK5ZAI in Australia. Teaching From Space (TFS), a NASA Education Office, helped to facilitate the event. TFS promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of space and NASA’s human spaceflight program. The students that participated in the contact came from the Space Grant Program, the University Research Centers Program, the Undergraduate Student Research Project, and JSC’s internal co-op program operated through the JSC Human Resources Department. Each of these programs provides students the opportunity to have hands-on, real-life, career-related experiences that challenge, inspire, and provide practical application that complements and expands upon the students’ academic education. 4. New Proposal Cycle for ARISS-US Contacts NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office has announced a new proposal cycle for ARISS-US contacts. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 30, 2012 for contacts to be held in the July 15, 2012 – January 15, 2013 timeframe. A NASA Express message which included an item on ARISS contact opportunities for U.S. schools using the proposal process was sent to 18,480 EXPRESS subscribers and to 1,608,969 NASA Twitter followers on November 17. The message may be viewed on the NASA blog: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/newui/blog/viewpostlist.jsp?blogname=educationexpress Inquiries about the U.S. proposal process should be sent to JSC-TFS-ARISS@mail.nasa.gov or may be made by calling 281-244-1919. For more information, visit the TFS Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html 5. ARISS International Team Meeting Held On Tuesday, November 15, the ARISS International Team held its monthly teleconference. A recap was given on the ARISS face-to-face meeting held in October, and status updates were given on HamTV and ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted. See: http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2011-11-15.htm 6. UHF Station in ISS Columbus Module The amateur radio station located in the Columbus module is currently operational with the UHF Ericsson transceiver and packet system using the frequency of 437.550 MHz. To utilize the the packet system, operators need to set the UNPROTO path to ARISS (the id is RS0ISS) for digi relay or they may connect to the BBS using the callsign RS0ISS-1. The packet beacon is set for 2 minute intervals so it may not appear to be active over many parts of the world but keep listening and mind the Doppler shift (+ or – 10 KHz). 7. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA was given an ARISS refresher course this past week. He plans to fly with Expedition 38/39 in November 2013 8. ARISS in ARRL Letter The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered three ARISS-related stories in its November 17 issue of the ARRL Letter under “Amateur Radio in Space.” The new crew members that flew to the ISS this week are discussed in the article, “New Space Station Crew Members Launch from Kazakhstan.” “ARISSat-1 May De-Orbit in April 2012” talks about Mineo Wakita’s predictions of when ARISSat may re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. “Apply Now to Host a Real-Time Conversation with Crewmembers Onboard the ISS” talks about the opportunity for U.S. schools to apply for an ARISS contact to be held during the second half of 2012. To view the stories in their entirety, see: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-11-17 9. AMSAT News Service Covers ARISS On Sunday, November 20, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) included a few items in its News Service bulletin (ANS-324) related to ARISS. “Radio Ham Blasts Off to Space Station” is about Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX who arrived at the ISS this past week. The Shadow Experiment and the Fox-1 satellite proposal submitted to NASA were also discussed in the following reports, respectively: “Amateur Radio Assistance Requested: ISS Plasma Thrust Shadow Experiment” and “AMSAT Submits Proposal to NASA for Fox-1 Satellite.” To view the ANS-324 bulletin, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000568.html 10. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On November 18, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1788 posted two stories concerning ARISS under the heading, “Ham Radio in Space.” The first item, “KC5ZSX Now on the ISS,” talks about the new crew members/licensed hams now aboard the Space Station. The second piece, “Researcher Says ARISSAT-1 will Deorbit in April” gives a prediction on ARISSat’s re-entry date. Both stories may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** November 14, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for A.S.J. Memorial High School, Thetford Mines, Québec, Canada on Monday, November 14 at 15:41 UTC. The school formed a space club and students are being taught about the ISS, radio equipment and radio protocol. Johnson Space Center (JSC) Education in Houston, Texas has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 15 at 15:39 UTC via station VK5ZAI in Australia. Interns and co-ops at JSC participating in the contact will learn about amateur radio technology. Teaching From Space (TFS), a NASA Education office, will help facilitate the event. TFS promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of space and NASA’s human spaceflight program. The students participating in the contact come from the Space Grant Program, the University Research Centers Program, the Undergraduate Student Research Project, and JSC’s internal co-op program operated through the JSC Human Resources Department. Each of these programs provides students the opportunity to have hands-on, real-life, career-related experiences that challenge, inspire, and provide practical application that complements and expands upon the students’ academic education. 2. Hospitalized Students Participate in ARISS Contact On Wednesday, November 9, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between children at the Rehabilitationszentrum für Kinder und Jugendliche in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland and ISS Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW. The venue of this contact was a hospital school that is attended by children during their rehabilitation. Furukawa was able to answer 13 questions from 9 students during the event, which was attended by approximately 50 people. The contact had a great impact on the students. For example, one 14 year old, suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage and unable to speak normally, made a tremendous effort to practice his questions for the contact. Through this event, students learned about space, satellites, radio waves and propagation of radio waves. 3. New York Students Contact ISS Students attending Donald P. Sutherland School in Nassau, New York took part in a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, November 10. The children were able to get in all of their questions during the pass, with time for a goodbye to Astronaut Mike Fossum. The contact was integrated into Language Arts, Mathematics and Technology, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Character Education. Web sites such as NASA Kids and the NASA Digital Learning Network were also utilized by teachers and students to prepare for this event. WNYT posted video and a story, “Nassau elementary students talk to an astronaut” at: http://thegreenbushes.wnyt.com/news/news/93797-nassau-elementary-students-talk-astronaut 4. ARISS Contact Integrated into EduSat Project Bari, Italy students attending I.I.S.S. “G. Marconi” School participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, November 12 via station IK1SLD in Italy. Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG fielded 10 questions put to him by the students with enough time left to exchange greetings. Local and regional media covered the event. “G. Marconi” is a scientific high school that specializes in technology. More than 600 students are enrolled at the school and the ARI (Radioamateur Association of Bari) is a part of the ISS “Marconi” body. The Institute participates in the EduSat project, headed by ASI (Italian Space Agency) in collaboration with IMT - Ingegneria Marketing e Tecnologia (Italian SME). The ARISS contact was integrated into the EduSat project through which students are studying aerospace, space telecommunications and satellite subsystems. 5. ARISS Represented at AMSAT Symposium AMSAT held its annual Space Symposium in San Jose, California on November 4-6. Dave Taylor, W8AAS (AMSAT-NA US Delegate to ARISS-I) reported to the Board of Directors on ARISS activities over the past year. He also presented a paper on "ARISS and Education" at the general meeting, on behalf of the paper's authors: Mark Steiner, K3MS, Rosalie White, K1STO, and Debbie Biggs. ARISSat-1 was a popular topic, with 5 papers presented about topics including telemetry decoding, operations, and lessons learned. Lou McFadin, W5DID (ARISS hardware lead) talked about the "Fabrication, Integration and Testing of ARRISat-1". A major thrust of the symposium was education and how AMSAT can (and must) provide a complete educational package for its satellites, both to encourage participation in amateur radio and to obtain affordable launch opportunities. AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, made this point repeatedly. A number of papers also addressed education from various angles. Several AMSAT members attending the symposium formed a team to develop educational products targeted directly at national STEM requirements. They plan to have amateur radio and satellite activities that teachers can drop into their curriculum. They hope to have the first few of these available for use while ARISSat-1 is still operational, and then develop more for continuing use to benefit ARISS and future AMSAT satellites. 6. ARRL QST on ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered ARISS in its December 2011 issue of QST. The "In Brief" column carried a short item about Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG, operating on the air while on-orbit during JOTA in October. *********************** November 7, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Rehabilitationszentrum für Kinder und Jugendliche in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland on Wednesday, November 9 at 14:21 UTC. This venue is a hospital school for children during their rehabilitation stay. Students will discover the challenges faced while living in a space environment and will learn about satellites, radio waves and propagation of radio waves. Donald P. Sutherland School, Nassau, New York has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, November 10 at 19:35 UTC. The contact will be integrated into the classes of English Language Arts, Mathematics and Technology, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Character Education. Web sites such as NASA Kids and the NASA Digital Learning Network have been utilized by teachers and students to prepare for this event. I.I.S.S. “G. Marconi” in Bari, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, November 12 at 09:49 UTC via station IK1SLD. The ISS (High School) “Marconi” was founded in 1940 and is a scientific high school (applied science) that specializes in technology. The school has an enrollment of more than 600 students and the ARI (Radioamateur Association of Bari) is a part of the ISS “Marconi” body. The Institute participates in the EduSat project, headed by ASI (Italian Space Agency) in collaboration with IMT - Ingegneria Marketing e Tecnologia (Italian SME). The ARISS contact will be integrated into the EduSat project through which students are studying aerospace, the space environment, space telecommunications and satellite subsystems. A Technological Satellite Simulator has been developed by IMT to allow students to perform experiments in the laboratory. 2. Swiss Students Speak with Astronaut Aboard ISS On Monday, October 31, students attending Kantonsschule Zug in Zug, Switzerland connected with Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG on the ISS via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). An audience of 600 was on hand to witness the contact and watched as 8 students got in 16 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. The contact highlighted lessons on gravity, orbits, the ISS and its flight path, as well as electromagnetic waves and amateur radio. This ARISS event was held in celebration of the school’s 150th anniversary. Media coverage included two television stations and one radio station. 3. Californian Students Radio ISS Astronaut San Diego, California students from Sundance Elementary School participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 1. Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG answered questions about the ISS mission, space and how space affects the human body. The contact was integrated into lesson plans about radios, radio waves, space and space-related topics. The local ham radio club gave presentations to the youth. Sign On San Diego covered the event in an article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/nov/04/poway-students-connect-astronaut/ 4. AMSAT Journal Includes Articles about ARISS Program The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted two articles about ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) in its July/August 2011 issue of the AMSAT Journal. “Apogee View,” written by AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, is about the deployment of ARISSat-1 and the educational opportunities available for students. Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS-U.S. delegate and ARRL ARISS Program Manager, talks about the ARISS program and how the ARISS contact is used in the classroom to interest students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in her article, “ARISS = Education.” 5. ARRL Short Story on ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) included a brief report on ARISS in its November 3 ARRL Letter under “ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?” One of the items mentions Debra Johnson and Rosalie White and their role in selecting U.S. schools for ARISS contacts, as well as their participation in the ARISS International Meeting held in Houston last month. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-in-action-what-have-we-been-up-to-lately-39 6. AMSAT Meetings Held November 4 - 6 The 2011 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Meeting were held Friday – Sunday, November 4 – 6 in San Jose, California. Several talks on ARISSat and education were given: “Fabrication, Integration and Testing of ARISSat-1” - Lou McFadin, W5DID “ARISSat-1 in Flight” - Gould Smith, WA4SXM “Decoding Satellite Telemetry form ARISSat-1” - Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW/5 “ARISSat-1 Operational Survey” - Steven Bible, N7HPR “ARISSat-1 Post Mortem” - Gould Smith, WA4SXM “The Importance of Educational Outreach for AMSAT” - Barry Baines, WD4ASW 7. AMSAT Award for ARISSat-1 Final Telemetry On Sunday, November 6, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) included an item in its News Service bulletin (ANS-310) about ARISSat-1. Although the Chicken Little Contest deadline has passed, the ARISSat team is still collecting telemetry data and will award a certificate to the person who collects and submits the last telemetry transmitted by the satellite. “ARISSat-1/KEDR Team Challenge to Catch the Last ARISSat-1 Telemetry” may be viewed here: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000564.html *********************** October 31, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Kantonsschule Zug in Zug, Switzerland has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, October 31 at 14:56 UTC. The contact will highlight lessons on gravity, orbits, the ISS (and its flight path), as well as electromagnetic waves and amateur radio. This ARISS event will be held in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Kantonsschule Zug. Sundance Elementary School in San Diego, California has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, November 1 at 20:00 UTC. Students are learning about radios, radio waves, space and space-related topics. The local ham radio club will give presentations to the youth. 2. ARISS Contact with Cherry Creek School District Students in the gifted and talented program, “Inside Out” from Cherry Creek School District in Centennial, Colorado participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 27 via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. On-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG fielded eleven questions in detail before losing the radio connection. The contact was integrated into the science curriculum covering topics such as radio propagation and space. A story about the school contact has been posted to NASA’s Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition29/exp29_ham.html 3. Israeli Students Radio ISS Astronaut On Friday, October 28, youth attending the Space Laboratory, Herzliya Science Centre in Herzliya, Israel took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. An audience of 70 gathered and listened as Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG answered fifteen questions posed by the students concerning mission training, life in space and experiments onboard the ISS. The contact was incorporated into lessons covering the space environment, orbital mechanics, satellite design and radio communications. 4. ARISS International Team Meeting Held A successful ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting was held Friday and Saturday, October 28 - 29 at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas. ARISS delegates gave reports on their respective regions. Representatives of other ARISS committees including Educational Outreach, Operations and Hardware also gave status updates. ARISS proposals under consideration were discussed. Meeting minutes will be posted in the near future. 5. Debrief Session Held with Expedition 27/28 Crew On Wednesday, October 26, ARISS team members participated in an ISS Ham debrief session with Expedition 27/28 crew member Ron Garan. The astronaut provided feedback on the ISS Ham radio equipment and ARISS school contacts. His remarks will aid the ARISS team in updating its program and procedures. 6. AMSAT Meetings to be Held Next Weekend The 2011 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) Space Symposium and Annual Meeting will be held Friday – Sunday, November 4 – 6 in San Jose, California. Several presentations on ARISSat and education are planned for Saturday, November 5: “Fabrication, Integration and Testing of ARISSat-1” - Lou McFadin, W5DID “ARISSat-1 in Flight” - Gould Smith, WA4SXM “Decoding Satellite Telemetry form ARISSat-1” - Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW/5 “ARISSat-1 Operational Survey” - Steven Bible, N7HPR “ARISSat-1 Post Mortem” - Gould Smith, WA4SXM “The Importance of Educational Outreach for AMSAT” - Barry Baines, WD4ASW More information about the AMSAT meetings may be found on its Web site: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/symposium/2011/index.php The presenters and their talks are also reported in the October 30 AMSAT News Service (ANS-303) bulletin. http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000563.html *********************** October 24, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Cherry Creek School District, Centennial, Colorado has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 27 at 17:09 UTC via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. A radio technology curriculum will be provided to students in the gifted and talented program, “Inside Out” to get them interested in amateur radio. The class will cover topics from radio propagation to UTC time and space. A guest speaker will talk about meteor scatter as well. Lesson plan objectives are to understand: measuring systems, general awareness of time on the body, orbits, science experiments, intervals, sleep, and communications. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Space Laboratory, Herzliya Science Centre, Herzliya, Israel on Friday, October 28 at 11:25 UTC. The contact will be incorporated into lessons covering the space environment, orbital mechanics, satellite design and radio communications. 2. ARISS Contact with Seiryo Elementary Seiryo Elementary School, Seto, Aichi, Japan experienced a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, October 18. The contact highlighted a science curriculum covering electricity, space and technology. 3. ZST Students Contact ISS On Friday, October 21, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students attending Zespol Szkol Technicznych in Rybnicka, Slask, Poland and on-orbit astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG. Approximately 65 students, teachers, parents, guests and media attended the event and listened as Fossum fielded 19 questions posed by the students. The SP9PKS radio club members worked with the youth to prepare them for the contact. Lesson plans included the construction of radio equipment and contacts via LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites. Two newspapers and four broadcast radio stations covered the contact: Dziennik Zachodni and Wiadomoci Powiatowe newspapers, Radio Zet, Radio Zote Przeboje, Tok FM, Antyradio, and local station Radio Fest. 4. ARISS International Team Meeting, October 28-29 The ARISS International Face-to-Face Meeting will be held this Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29 at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas. The team will come together to share regional reports as well as status reports from the program’s other committees including education, operations and hardware. 5. ARISS International Team Teleconference Held The monthly ARISS International teleconference was held on Tuesday, October 18. The upcoming face-to-face meeting was discussed, among other topics. Minutes have been posted: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-10-18.htm 6. Astronaut Training Status On October 18 Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX was given an ARISS refresher course to prepare him for his upcoming flight with Expedition 29 in November. Joe Acaba, KE5DAR participated in a preflight session the same day. He plans to fly with Expedition 31 in March 2012. 7. ARISS Recognized by NASA Associate Administrator for Education In a recent communication of FY2011 accomplishments to the NASA education community, NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin highlighted the accomplishments of ARISS: “10,743 curious students and 778 motivated educators participated in direct communication with International Space Station (ISS) crews via the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), sparking their interest in STEM.” *********************** October 17, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Seiryo Elementary School, Seto, Aichi, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, October 18 at 08:33 UTC. The school was established in 1975 and has an enrollment of 667 students. The contact will highlight the science curriculum which covers electricity, space and technology. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Zespol Szkol Technicznych in Rybnicka, Slask, Poland on Friday, October 21 at 16:38 UTC. SP9PKS radio club members have been working with the school to prepare for the contact. Lesson plans have covered construction of radio equipment, contacts via LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites and meteorites. 2. Italian Students Hook Up with Astronaut Mike Fossum via ARISS Students from Istituto Superiore “G. Curcio,” Ispica, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 14 via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Mike Fossum, KF5AQG answered 14 questions posed to him by the youth. He talked about what it is like to live in space, the problems encountered while working in microgravity and the experiments being conducted on the Space Station. The contact was integrated into the science curriculum covering astronomy. 3. Amateur Radio Club Contacts ISS On Saturday, October 15, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between the Amateur Radio Morioka Club located in Morioka, Japan and Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on the ISS. Seventeen students were able to ask questions of the astronaut during the radio connection. Student participants were those who went through difficult times after the tsunami devastation on March 11. 4. Astronaut Participates in JOTA Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG participated in the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) event. Fossum, a scoutmaster, spoke with scouts from several states on Saturday, October 15. 5. Kiroli -ARISS Contact Participants Interviewed The first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact to be held in Louisiana took place between students attending Kiroli Elementary School in West Monroe and on-orbit Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on September 22, 2011. On Thursday, October 6, an educator and two students involved with the contact were interviewed by Jay Curtis from KEDM, a local public radio station, about the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) Amateur Radio Club and Kiroli Elementary School's ARISS contact. A short write-up and audio of the interview is available at this URL: http://www.kedm.org/audio/amateur-radio-club-teams-kiroli-elementary-space-station-contact-ulm-forum-10-7-11 6. ARRL Newsletter on Simulated ARISS Contact The Indiana ARRL Section Newsletter carried a story about the September 21 simulated ARISS contact that took place between Astronaut Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC and students visiting the Indianapolis Challenger Learning Center. The contact was a training session for the astronaut in which he used ARISS equivalent equipment at JSC to prepare him for participation in ARISS contacts during his upcoming mission on the ISS. Marshburn is scheduled to fly with Expedition 34 in November 2012. 7. ARRL Letter Covers ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a couple of ARISS stories in its October 13 ARRL Letter. The first item talks about Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) over the October 15-16 weekend and Astronaut Mike Fossum’s plans to participate in the event. The second story covers the ARISSat-1 CW Contest where participants can copy and submit any 6 of the over 200 call signs transmitted by the satellite. To view the articles, “On the Air: ISS to Be On the Air for JOTA This Weekend” and “Amateur Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Team Announces Morse Code Contest,” see: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-10-13#toc02 8. ARRL QST Posts ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) November 2011 QST coverage of ARISS items are: On page 83 is an article about NASA astronauts and current ISS crew members. There is a large photo of the Expedition 29 crew and their call signs. The caption mentions the cosmonaut who deployed ARISSat-1. Also, in the "Media Hits” column is a short item about national-level media venues (technology venues) that carried PR about ARISSat-1 and its education potential and capability. 9. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers McFadin Interview On October 14, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1783 included a story about an interview with Lou McFadin, W5DID in which he talks about his work at NASA, amateur radio and ham radio experiments in space. “Names in the News: Lew McFadin W5DID Interviewed by DXCoffee” may be viewed here: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 10. Astronaut Training Status Two astronaut training sessions are planned for October 18. Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX will take part in a refresher course and Joe Acaba, KE5DAR is scheduled for a preflight session. Burbank is slated to fly with Expedition 29 in November 2011 and Acaba plans to fly with Expedition 31 in March 2012. *********************** October 10, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Istituto Superiore “G. Curcio,” Ispica, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 14 at 11:03 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The contact will be integrated into the science curriculum on astronomy. Other activities include a field trip to the Astrophysics Institute in Catania and the Astronomic Observatory on Mount Etna. Amateur Radio Morioka Club, Morioka, Japan is slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, October 15 at 09:47 UTC. The club participated in an ARISS contact last year and after the tsunami hit eastern Japan earlier this year, causing much destruction to the Iwate coast and several elementary schools in the area, a request for another contact was made. Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa will speak with the children who have experienced a death in their family to help boost their morale. Seiryo Elementary School, Seto, Aichi, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, October 18 at 08:33 UTC. The school was established in 1975 and has an enrollment of 667 students. The contact will highlight the science curriculum which covers electricity, space and technology. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Zespol Szkol Technicznych in Rybnicka 44, Slask, Poland on Friday, October 21 at 16:38 UTC. SP9PKS radio club members have been working with the school to prepare for the contact. Lesson plans have covered construction of radio equipment, contacts via LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites and meteorites. 2. Malaysia National Space Challenge Features ARISS Contact Students attending S. K. Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, October 3. Satoshi Furukawa, KF5AQG onboard the ISS answered twenty questions posed to him about space including such questions as what happens to your tears if you cry in space and whether children should be allowed to travel to space. The contact was held as part of the “Prime Minister’s National Space Challenge Trophy 2011,” which has been an annual event since 2007, when Malaysian space participant, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, flew to the ISS. The National Space Challenge involves a large number of students and encourages them to learn about space and science. Several media outlets covered the event. To view the New Straits Times article, see: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/12alangas/Article/art_print 3. ARISS Contact Highlights Astronomy Day Activities On Saturday, October 8, visitors participating in Astronomy Day 2011 at George Observatory in Needville, Texas spoke with on-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii handled the radio connection. Sixteen questions were asked and answered. Astronomy Day is put on each year by all the Astronomy clubs in the greater Houston Area in conjunction with the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The event is held at the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park and draws 4000 attendees each year. The ARRL education and technology program was used to prepare youth for the contact. A NASA booth was set up and amateur astronomers and amateur radio operators were available to discuss the ISS, space travel and forms of communications. 4. DX Coffee Interview with Lou McFadin The Web site DXCoffee has posted an interview with ARISS Hardware Lead Lou McFadin, W5DID. Lou talks about his work at NASA, amateur radio and ham radio experiments in space. See: http://www.dxcoffee.com/eng/2011/10/03/amateur-radio-nasa/ The article is also available in Italian: http://www.dxcoffee.com/ita/2011/10/03/nasa-hamradio/ 5. ARISS Vice Chairman to Speak at HoSARC ARISS Vice Chairman Mark Steiner, K3MS will be giving a presentation on the ARISS program, via Skype, during New York's Hall Of Science Amateur Radio Club (HoSARC) meeting on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 pm ET. The presentation is being advertised on the HoSARC front page: http://www.hosarc.org/portal/ 6. ARISS Status on Social Media ARISS news is available on Twitter and Facebook. ARISS currently has 229 active users on Facebook and 698 followers on Twitter. See: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amateur-Radio-on-the-International-Space-Station-ARISS/153679794647788 http://twitter.com/#!/ARISS_status 7. AMSAT on ARISS On Sunday, October 9 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-282) included coverage of the Chicken Little Contest which allows participants to guess when ARISSat will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and the ARISSat CW (Morse code) contest where participants copy and submit any 6 of the over 200 call signs transmitted by the satellite. Another item is about the Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) event to be held October 15-16. Astronaut Mike Fossum plans to participate. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000557.html 8. Amateur Radio Newsline on Chicken Little Contest On October 7, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1782 contained a story about the ongoing Chicken Little contest held by AMSAT through which participants can guess the date and time ARISSat will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Certificates will be issued to winners of three categories: grades K-8, grades 9-12 and adult. “Ham Radio in Space: AMSAT Issues ARRISat-1 Chicken Little Contest Reminder” may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 9. Energia on ARISSat/KEDR Energia has posted a status report on ARISSat/KEDR to its Web site. See: http://www.energia.ru/en/news/news-2011/news_10-03.html *********************** October 3, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts S. K. Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, October 3 at 14:46 UTC. The school has been invited by the National Space Agency Satellite Ground Station (call sign 9M2RPN) to participate in the “Prime Minister’s National Space Challenge Trophy 2011,” which has been an annual event since 2007, when Malaysian space participant, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, flew to the ISS. The National Space Challenge involves a large number of students and encourages them to learn about space. The event receives extensive media coverage from newspapers, radio and television. George Observatory, Needville, Texas has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, October 8 at 16:50 UTC via telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Astronomy Day is put on each year by all the Astronomy clubs in the greater Houston area in conjunction with the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The event is held at the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park and draws 4000 attendees each year. The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) education and technology program will be used to prepare youth for the contact. A NASA booth will be set up and amateur astronomers and amateur radio operators will be available to discuss the ISS, space travel and forms of communication. 2. Lompoc High School Students Experience ARISS Contact On Thursday, September 29, students attending Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California connected with on-orbit astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Fossum fielded over ten questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Students who participated in the contact are involved in Lompoc's STaRS (Space, Technology and Robotics Systems) Academy. The event highlighted students’ studies covering space flight, the space environment, orbital motion, ground tracking, life support systems and rockets. The Santa Maria Times posted an article about the experience: http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/education/talking-to-an-astronaut-in-space/article_b85f7212-eb40-11e0-a23f-001cc4c002e0.html 3. NASA Shares Kiroli Contact Audio Kiroli Elementary School students from West Monroe, Louisiana took part in an ARISS contact with Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on the International Space Station on September 22. This was the first ARISS contact for Louisianans. On Wednesday, September 28, NASA tweeted a link to the contact audio and also provided a link to audio on its Web site. http://ia700705.us.archive.org/33/items/Expedition29/09-22-11_EXP29_HAM-Radio-Pass.mp3 4. Premier of Nunavut, Canada Promotes ARISS Eva Aariak, the Premier of the Territory of Nunavut, Canada, and Minister of Education, gave a talk about the importance of education, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and how the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program makes learning interesting. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jSroPPcXtM 5. Astronaut Training Status ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has been assigned callsign IZ0UDF. Cristoforetti was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. 6. ARRL QST on ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) October QST had several items related to ARISS, as follows: The "In Brief" column made mention of the deployment of ARISSat-1 from the ISS on August 3. Then the "Happenings" column carried a 3/4-page article covering the deployment in depth -- the article was titled, "Cosmonauts Deploy ARISSat-1 from ISS". The "Media Hits" column featured the many hits that the ARISSat team got, including national-level PR such as the UPI, International Business Times, EETimes, NASA.gov, and Space. The same column also made mention of an article in the Press & Sun-Bulletin of Vestal, NY that highlighted Kopernik Observatory's summer science Pegasus program for kids. (Kopernik sponsored the Windsor Central District schools' ARISS contact.) The article talked about Kopernik hams who helped kids make contact with ham satellites using the observatory's ham station. 7. ARRL Articles on ARISSat The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted two articles on ARISSat in its September 29 issue of the ARRL Letter. The first piece covers the survey about ARISSat operations. The second item is about the Chicken Little Contest which is being held to guess when ARISSat-1 will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Those who wish to participate may enter one of three categories: students in grades K-8, students in grades 9-12 and adults. Submissions will be accepted until October 15, 2011 at 23:59:00 (UTC). See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-09-29 8. AMSAT Italia Presents Plaques to Expedition 26/27 Crew Members During the post-flight tour of the MagISStra mission, AMSAT Italia presented plaques to ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman. The inscriptions read: "in appreciation for the dedication so generously given by Catherine G. Coleman, KC5ZTH to scientific education and science dissemination" ESRIN - Frascati, 22 September 2011” "in apprezzamento dell'impegno profuso dal Socio d'Onore Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA a sostegno dell'educazione e della divulgazione scientifica" ESRIN - Frascati, 22 Settembre 2011” For photos, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63976489@N07/sets/72157627756635934/ 9. EE Times - ARISSat Blog New entries have been made to the EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog about amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. The second part of “Lessons Learned” may be found at this link: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/chips-in-space/4228027/Chips-in-Space--Lessons-learned--Part-2- Current results from the survey held about ARISSat-1 operations may be viewed here (the survey remains open): http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4228654/Chips-in-Space--Survey-Says- 10. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS The Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1781, posted on September 30, included a story on Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) 2011 which will be held over the October 15 – 16 weekend. The item mentions that ISS Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG is a scoutmaster and may be on the air over the weekend, if time allows. “Ham Radio and Scouting: JOTA 2011 - October 15 – 16,” may be viewed at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** September 26, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, September 29 at 16:04 UTC. Lompoc High has an informal amateur radio club which is part of the STaRS (Space, Technology and Robotics Systems) academy. Students have been studying the history of space flight, the space environment, orbital motion, ground tracking, life support systems and rockets, among other topics. Students are also building a model of the ISS and designing another module for it. 2. First ARISS Contact for Louisiana On Thursday, September 22, the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact to be held in Louisiana took place between students attending Kiroli Elementary School in West Monroe and Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on the ISS. Approximately 500 students were on hand for the event. Representatives from the school board, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the media were also present. The contact was a featured activity held in conjunction with a well developed education plan covering space and communications. The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) will open its observatory in an upcoming month to Kiroli Elementary to allow students to view various celestial bodies and events, as well as the planets and stars within our solar system. Contact information and links to articles, video and audio may be found on this Web site: http://www.cs.ulm.edu/~pdw/KiroliARISS/ 3. ARISS International Team Teleconference Held The ARISS monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, September 20. Among the agenda items discussed were the upcoming Houston face-to-face meeting and the HamTV project that ESA plans to support through a contract with Kayser-Italia. The Project Selection and Use committee will discuss HamTV and a second Kenwood radio for the Columbus module once the proposals are submitted. Minutes have been posted. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-09-20.htm 4. Astronaut Training Status Three simulated ARISS contacts were held on Wednesday, September 21. Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG spoke with youth at the Euro Space Camp in Belgium. Kevin Ford, KF5GPP contacted the Manhattan Challenger Learning Center (CLC) and Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC answered questions from students at the CLC of Indianapolis. The training sessions were terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS equivalent equipment that will prepare the astronauts for participation in ARISS contacts during their upcoming missions on the ISS. Ford is slated to launch with Expedition 33 in September 2012 and Hadfield and Marshburn are scheduled to fly with Expedition 34 in November 2012. 5. EE Times - ARISSat Blog On September 17, a new entry was made to the EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog about amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. This week the blog covers the project’s lessons learned. See: http://eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4227392/Chips-in-Space--Lessons-learned--Part-1 6. World Radio Magazine Covers ARISSat-1 The World Radio Magazine October 2011 issue featured an article about ARISSat-1. To view the story, “Amateur Satellites: A Bumpy Ride for ARISSat-1 on its Way to Space,” see: http://www.worldradiomagazine.com/ 7. AMSAT Covers ARISS AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) included two ARISS-related items in its News Service bulletin (ANS-268) on Sunday, September 25. The first piece requests participants to take a survey about ARISSat operations and provides information about the ARISSat Chicken Little Contest. The second story, “Frank Bauer, KA3HDO Retires From NASA After 36 Years” is about the retirement of former ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer. Both items may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000553.html 8. Amateur Radio Newsline on ISS Crew, Former ARISS Chairman On September 23, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1780 included two ARISS items under “Ham Radio in Space.” The first story talks about a possible Soyuz flight on November 14 that may carry the next 3 crew members of Expedition 29 to the ISS. The second item follows up with the return of Expedition 28 crew members Ron Garan, KF5GPO, Andrei Borisenko, RW7LFG, and Alexander Samokutyayev. A third item under “Names in the News” covers Frank Bauer’s retirement from NASA. To view “Next Manned Flight to ISS Will be Nov 14,” “Three ISS Crew Members Return to Earth” and “KA3HDO Retires from NASA After 36 Years,” go to: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** September 19, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Kiroli Elementary School in West Monroe, Louisiana on Thursday, September 22 at 18:12 UTC. The school, with the assistance of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), has planned several related activities for its students. Children will participate in an amateur radio satellite communication session with Coats Elementary School in North Carolina. Mr. Jim Halsell, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, commander of NASA missions STS-83, STS-94, and STS-101, and a Kiroli alumnus, has been invited to speak with the students about his missions. Students will visit the observatory at ULM to view celestial bodies and events and a Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) grant will be submitted to fund a space camp for the elementary school. 2. ARISS Contact Featured at Researchers’ Night Event On Wednesday, September 14 the Universitŕ degli Studi di Foggia in Foggia, Italy took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact via station IK1SLD. On-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG spoke with the students, answering 13 of their questions and exchanged greetings with the rector of the university. Approximately 100 people turned out to witness the event including representatives from RAI- National TV. The contact highlighted “Researchers' Night” which was held to promote the role of the scientific researcher as well as amateur radio and its role in research and experimentation in communications. 3. ARISSat Used as Teaching Tool, Covered in Local Newspaper Matt Severin, principal of Dowagiac Middle School in Michigan, took some of his students outside to track and listen to the satellite ARISSat-1 on Tuesday, September 13. Two years earlier, Severin, then principal of Sister Lakes Elementary School, had a picture taken of the students and submitted it to be flown on ARISSat. On Tuesday, the students were able to track the satellite, listen to greetings in several languages and receive telemetry as well as SSTV (Slow Scan Television) images with a goal to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The Daily News posted a story on this activity. http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/09/13/passionate-principal-stokes-science-interest/ 4. Astronaut Training Status Three simulated ARISS contacts are scheduled for Wednesday, September 21 between the following schools and astronauts: Euro Space Camp, Belgium at 13:15 UTC – Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG Manhattan Challenger Learning Center (CLC) at 13:50 UTC – Kevin Ford, KF5GPP CLC of Indianapolis at 14:30 UTC - Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC These training sessions are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS equivalent equipment. The sessions will prepare the astronauts for participation in ARISS contacts during their upcoming missions on the ISS. 5. EE Times - ARISSat Blog On September 10, another entry was posted to the EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog about amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. This week the blog covers the many frequently asked questions about the project. See: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/chips-in-space/4226864/Chips-in-Space--Just-the-FAQs-Ma-am *********************** September 12, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Universitŕ degli Studi di Foggia, Foggia, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, September 14 at 08:38 UTC via station IK1SLD. “Researchers' Night” promotes the role of the scientific researcher through games, quizzes, shows and conferences. Amateur radio and its role in research and experimentation in communications will be featured. 2. Kobe Science Museum Contact Successful An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between youth visiting the Kobe Science Museum in Kobe-city, Japan and ISS Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on Monday, September 5. Children were interested in how astronauts prepare for their missions and how life in space differs from that on Earth. Approximately 90 people were present for the event and media coverage included at least two newspapers and one television station. The contact highlighted lessons covering the ISS, space and regional and global environments. 3. Pine Tree Middle School Students Radio Mike Fossum On Friday, September 9, Pine Tree Middle School in Longview, Texas participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Mike Fossum, KF5AQG answered over 20 questions posed to him by the students about what it is like to live in space and the experiments currently being conducted on the ISS. The contact was incorporated into a science curriculum which covered space, ecosystems and the contributions of scientists to society. 4. U.S. Schools Selected for ARISS Contacts The ARISS-U.S. proposal selection committee met at the end of August and chose ARISS proposals for contacts to be held in the January – June 2012 timeframe. Five primary schools as well as several alternate schools were selected. The schools were notified of their status and ARISS mentors are currently being assigned to assist the schools in preparing for their contacts. 5. ARISS Member Gives ARISSat Interview On September 6, Steve Bible, N7HPR appeared on Ham Nation to talk about ARISSat-1 and AMSAT. The interview, episode 16, may be viewed on TWiT.TV. See: http://twit.tv/show/ham-nation/16 6. Amateur Radio Newsline on ISS Crew On September 9, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1778 included two ARISS items under “Ham Radio in Space.” The first story gives a short status on ARISSat-1and the second item talks about how the ISS crew may be affected by the failed launch of Progress 44 in August. To view “ARISSat-1 Celebrates its First Month Onorbit” and “ISS Could be Vacated if Russian Launch Vehicle Problem not Resolved Quickly,” see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 7. Astronaut Training Status Four simulated ARISS contacts are scheduled for September 21 between the following schools and astronauts: Euro Space Center, Belgium at 13:20 UTC – Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG Manhattan Challenger Learning Center (CLC) at 14:05 UTC – Kevin Ford, KF5GPP CLC of Indianapolis at 14:30 UTC - Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC CLC of Alaska at 15:50 UTC– Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR These training sessions are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS equivalent equipment. The sessions will prepare the astronauts for participation in ARISS contacts during their upcoming missions on the ISS. 8. ARRL Article on ISS Astronauts The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a story in its September 8 ARRL Letter about NASA’s need to hire more astronauts. The story went on to talk about the possibility of abandoning the ISS if the Russians do not resolve the issues associated with the Progress 44 launch. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/report-calls-on-nasa-to-hire-more-astronauts *********************** September 5, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Pine Tree Middle School in Longview, Texas has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, September 9 at 14:48 UTC. The contact will be incorporated into a curriculum through which students will learn about science careers and the contributions of scientists. They will also learn about Earth’s rotation, the day and night cycle, the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth and Moon and closed ecosystems and their affect on living organisms, such as humans living aboard the ISS. 2. Vision Australia Contact Successful Students from Vision Australia in Enfield, New South Wales, Australia took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, August 29 via station WH6PN in Hawaii. On-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG answered 12 questions put to him by the youth before the ISS went over the horizon. Students were interested in the logistics of living in space as well as how astronauts stay in contact with friends and family during their missions. Vision Australia is a nonprofit agency that provides low vision and blindness services to the community in Australia. 3. Merritt Island Students Speak with Satoshi Furukawa On Tuesday, August 30, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between da Vinci Academy of Aerospace Technology students at Merritt Island High School in Florida and Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on the ISS. Questions asked included those concerning the long term effects of microgravity on the human body and influences on Furukawa’s decision to study in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Florida Today ran a story on the event: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011108310317 4. AMSAT News Bulletin on ARISS AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) included two ARISS-related items in its News Service bulletin (ANS-247) on Sunday, September 4. The first piece was about the new ARISSat-1 telemetry page available at http://www.arissattlm.org/live . The second story was about the ARISS contact held between Merritt Island High School students and ISS Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa. Both items may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000547.html 5. EE Times, ARISSat Blog Another entry has been posted to the EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog about amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. This week the blog covers the “Design challenges, intrigue and solutions” of the project. See: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4219588/Chips-in-Space--Design-challenges--intrigue-and-solutions 6. Amateur Radio Newsline on ISS Crew On September 2, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1777 included an item about the consequences of the failed launch of Progress 44P on August 24. To view “Ham Radio in Space: Next Crew Launch to ISS May be Delayed,” see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** August 29, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Merritt Island High School, Merritt Island, Florida on Tuesday, August 30 at 18:06 UTC. Sixty of the high school students are members of da Vinci Academy of Aerospace Technology and take part in the “Project Lead the Way” engineering curriculum. The students will study engineering principles of the International Space Station through their courses entitled “Introduction to Engineering,” “Principles of Engineering,” “Aerospace Engineering” and “Digital Electronics.” The entire year’s curriculum will be dedicated to the aerospace engineering topic and weekly labs will make the subject real (study of force/motion, circuit boards, ISS construction/engineering, ISS orbit, ham radio engineering, sound waves, and layers of the atmosphere). 2. Successful Contact with Hochtaunusschule An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between youth at Hochtaunusschule in Oberursel, Hessen, Germany and on-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG on Thursday, August 25. Telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina handled the radio connection. During the ISS pass, students got in 15 questions concerning topics such as astronaut training and the effect of space on the human body. The contact was a featured event at the school, which provides both general education and vocational training, to pique students’ interest in space and wireless technology. 3. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) ran a status report on ARISSat-1 in its News Service bulletin (ANS-240) on Sunday, August 28 that included an update on the satellite’s battery. To view “New ARISSat-1 FM Operating Mode,” see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000546.html The Chicken Little Contest, to guess when ARISSat-1 will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, is underway. Predictions must be submitted by October 15. More information on the contest and its categories (students, adults) may be found here: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/ARISSat/ARISSatContest 4. EE Times - ARISSat Blog The sixth and seventh entries in EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog about the amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1 have been posted. See: Chips in Space: Let’s look inside ARISSat-1 (part 2) http://eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4219183/Chips-in-Space--Let-s-look-inside-ARISSat-1--part-2- Chips in Space: Let’s look inside ARISSat-1 (Part 3) http://eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4219352/Chips-in-Space--Let-s-look-inside-ARISSat-1--Part-3- *********************** August 22, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Hochtaunusschule in Oberursel, Hessen, Germany on Thursday, August 25 at 08:19 UTC via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. The school provides both general education and vocational training, such as electrical, metal and mechanical engineering, as well as information technology (IT). The contact will be held to interest high school students in wireless technology. Vision Australia, located in Enfield, New South Wales, Australia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, August 29 at 08:47 UTC via station WH6PN in Hawaii. Vision Australia is a not for profit agency that provides low vision and blindness services to the community in Australia. There are many children who are blind or have low vision who receive services from the agency. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Merritt Island High School, Merritt Island, Florida on Tuesday, August 30 at 18:06 UTC. Sixty of the high school students are members of da Vinci Academy of Aerospace Technology and take part in the “Project Lead the Way” engineering curriculum. The students will study engineering principles of the International Space Station through their courses entitled “Introduction to Engineering,” “Principles of Engineering,” “Aerospace Engineering” and “Digital Electronics.” The entire year’s curriculum will be dedicated to the aerospace engineering topic to prepare for the contact, and weekly labs will make the topic real (study of force/motion, circuit boards, ISS construction/engineering, ISS orbit, ham radio engineering, sound waves, and layers of the atmosphere). 2. Successful Contact with Yokohama School On Tuesday, August 16, youth from Yokohama Kurata Elementary School in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. ISS Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW answered fourteen questions posed to him by the students as an audience of 500 listened in. The contact highlighted the students’ lessons about space, the ISS and radio communications. Among the media coverage received were 3 television stations, including NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), 3 newspapers and 2 magazines. 3. NASA Article on ARISS Contact with Caribbean Youth On Monday, August 8, an ARISS contact was held with students attending the Caribbean Youth Science Forum (CYSF), a regional event sponsored by the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology (NIHERST) located in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies. This year the forum hosted 250 students from several Caribbean countries. A NASA story about the event has been posted to its Web site. See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/ARISS_Trinidad.html 4. ARISS International Team Meeting Held The ARISS International Team monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, August 16. Attendees discussed the upcoming face-to-face meeting to be held in Houston in October and the status of ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-08-16.htm 5. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 On August 21, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-233) posted an item about ARISSat-1, providing information on how to experiment with recorded files. To learn more, see “BPSK-1000 Test Files and Downlink SDR Passband Recording Available” at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000544.html 6. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISSat-1 On August 19, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1775 included a couple of items concerning ARISSat-1. To view “ARISSat-1 Dropping to Low Power Even in Sunlight” and “Chicken Little Contest for ARISSat 1,” see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 7. ARRL QST on ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) September 2011 QST had a blurb in the "In Brief" column about astronauts garnering their Amateur Radio licenses in order to participate in ARISS educational radio contacts: Michael Hopkins, KF5LJG Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS Gregory Wiseman, KF5 LKT Jeremy Hasen, KF5LKU and Kjell Lindgren, upgrading his KO5MOS license to General *********************** August 15, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Yokohama Kurata Elementary School, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, August 16 at 09:57 UTC. All 506 students from grades 1-6 will be taught age appropriate lessons covering space physics, the ISS (mission, orbit, etc.) and radio communications (VHF, Doppler Effect, antennas) to prepare for this activity. 2. Caribbean Youth Radio ISS On Monday, August 8, children attending the Caribbean Youth Science Forum (CYSF), a regional event sponsored by the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology (NIHERST) and located in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina provided the radio connection. The youth interacted with Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW on the ISS, receiving answers to ten of their questions about space. The contact was integrated into the CYSF which included lectures, field trips, projects and debates that promoted science, technology and innovation. The forum hosted 250 students this year from 6 countries. Newsday reported on the contact: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,145262.html 3. Italian Camp Contacts ISS A successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO and the Youth Hostel “La Foresta” in Perugia, Italy on Thursday, August 11 via station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. Garan fielded 18 questions posed to him by the children. The camp, organized by Panda Adventure in cooperation with ESA /ESRIN, focuses on space education and provides activities such as field researches, experiments, use of technical instruments, and games to explore the Earth and Sky. 4. ARISS-U.S. Reviews Proposals The NASA Teaching From Space Office received over 100 inquiries about the U.S. proposal process for ARISS contacts that will be scheduled during the January – July 2012 time frame. Twenty-four schools met the July 15 deadline and submitted proposals. The U.S. Selection Committee is currently reviewing the proposals and will select U.S. schools by the end of the month. Another window of opportunity for U.S. schools and organizations to submit proposals will open later in the year. 5. ARISSat-1 Update ARISSat-1, an educational satellite that was developed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) in cooperation with the NASA Office of Education ISS National Lab, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and RSC-Energia, was deployed on Wednesday, August 3 during Russian EVA-29. Ground stations have been receiving signals from the satellite, picking up telemetry - both spacecraft and Kursk experiment data, SSTV images, greetings and CW beacons. Current information concerning the satellite, including battery status, has been posted to the ARISSat-1 Web site: http://www.arissat1.org/v3/ To view SSTV images: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/SSTV/ 6. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 Status On August 14, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-226) posted several stories about ARISSat-1, providing a status on the satellite and its battery as well as information on how to receive an ARISSat certificate. AMSAT also announced its Chicken Little Contest through which one can guess the date of satellite re-entry. The following stories may be viewed at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/48hour/msg89000.html - ARISSat-1/KEDR at +10 Days: ON-ORBIT and OPERATIONAL - Send For Your ARISSat-1/KEDR Certificates - AMSAT Contest - ARISSat-1 Battery is failing faster than expected 7. EE Times - ARISSat Blog The fourth and fifth entries in EE (Electronic Engineering) Times “Chips in Space” blog covering amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1 have been posted. See: http://eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/chips-in-space/4218536/Chips-in-Space--SuitSat-2-becomes-ARISSat-1--When-we-lost-our-suit---not-really- http://eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4218756/Chips-in-Space--Let-s-look-inside-ARISSat-1--part-1- 8. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISSat-1 On August 12, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1774 included an item on the certificates available for receiving signals from ARISSat-1. To view, “Ham Radio in Space: Certificates Offered for Assisting ARISSat-1,” see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 9. DXCoffee Article on Ham Radio in Space The Italian site DXCoffee.com printed a story about the history of amateur radio in space. The article covers amateur radio used by Owen Garriott, the Mir station, SAREX and ARISS and includes recent contacts with Doug Wheelock and Paolo Nespoli. “Radio in space: in the Beginning there was SAREX,” may be viewed here: http://www.dxcoffee.com/eng/2011/08/10/radio-space-beginning-sarex/ *********************** August 8, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology (NIHERST), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies on Monday, August 8 at 15:13 UTC via station LU8YY in Argentina. The institute promotes science, technology and innovation through its Caribbean Youth Science Forum (CYSF). This year the CYSF will host 250 students from 6 countries who will participate in lectures, field trips and a design challenge competition to build a 3 meter high tower using non-traditional building materials. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the Youth Hostel “La Foresta” in Rome, Italy on Thursday, August 11 at 08:48 UTC via K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. Panda Adventure organizes summer camps for youth, ages 11 -14 that focus on space education. The program is strengthened through the cooperation with ESA /ESRIN that provided the camp with educational materials. Activities include field researches, experiments, use of technical instruments, and games to explore the Earth and Sky and to research solutions to save our planet. 2. Scouts Experience Successful ARISS Contact Scouts attending Space Jam 5 held at the Octave Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul, Illinois participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, August 6. This was a telebridge contact via station WH6PN in Hawaii. Scouts put 18 questions about life in space to on-orbit astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG. Over 250 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as well as 100 scout leaders attended the event. Besides the several merit badge workshops covering electronics, computers and others, activities included a balloon launch (with an on-board repeater) and a ham radio station, complete with satellite antennas. 3. ARISSat-1 Deployed ARISSat-1, an educational satellite that was developed by AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) in cooperation with the NASA Office of Education ISS National Lab, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and RSC-Energia, was deployed on Wednesday, August 3 during Russian EVA-29. The satellite contains an experiment developed by Kursk State Technical University students in Russia. Students and others may listen to ARISSat-1 to hear the 24 greetings in 15 languages (secret words included), to receive and decode spacecraft and experiment telemetry and to capture Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images. (Certificates are available to those who report receiving signals from the satellite. Visit the ARISSat Web site for more information.) ARISSat activities provide an excellent opportunity to pique children’s interest in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). ARISSat-1 Web site: http://www.arissat1.org/v3/ To view SSTV images: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/SSTV/ NASA article, "Hammin’ It Up" http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/hammin-it-up_prt.htm Other articles: WBIR, “STEM education reaches new heights” http://www.wbir.com/news/article/178784/2/STEM-education-reaches-new-heights EE Times, “Amateur satellite ready to go in to action” http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4218421/Amateur-satellite-ready-to-go-in-to-action?cid=NL_EETimesDaily EE Times, “ARISSat-1 Deployment Update” http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4218501/Chips-in-Space--ARISSat-1-deployment-update Space.com, “Russian Cosmonauts to Take Spacewalk Today” http://www.space.com/12526-russian-cosmonauts-space-station-spacewalk-ham-radio-satellite.html Space Daily, “Russian Spacewalkers to Move Cargo Boom, Deploy Ham Radio Satellite” http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Spacewalkers_to_Move_Cargo_Boom_Deploy_Ham_Radio_Satellite_999.html 4. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 On August 7, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-219) covered ARISSat-1, its deployment and current operations. The following stories may be viewed at http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000542.html - AMSAT-NA In Orbit Again with ARISSat-1 - NASA Education Express Message - ARISSat-1/KEDR Deployment - ARISSat-1/KEDR Deployed on August 3 - Signals Received - ARISSat-1/KEDR Reception Report Certificates - AMSAT-UK Issues ARISSat-1/KEDR BPSK Reception Challenge 5. ARRL Articles on ARISS The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted three ARISS news items in its August 4 ARRL Letter. The first story is about the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools and the other two cover the ARISSat-1 deployment and status. See http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-08-04 for the following stories: - ARISS Excited by New Proposal Process - ARISSat-1 Finally Deployed from ISS - Hams Report ARISSat-1’s Linear Transponder Is Working 6. EE Times - ARISSat Blog EE (Electronic Engineering) Times ran a second entry in its “Chips in Space” blog covering the amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1. See: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4218353/The-importance---challenges-of-collaboration 7. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISSat-1 On August 5, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1773 included a report on the deployment of ARISSat-1. “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Now on Orbit” may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 8. Astronaut Training Status Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG attended an ARISS Basic Ops class on Monday, August 1. Hopkins is slated to fly with Expedition 37 in September 2013. *********************** August 1, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Octave Chanute Air Museum/Scouts Space Jam 5, Rantoul, Illinois has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, August 6 at 18:13 UTC via station WH6PN in Hawaii. Aviation, Space Exploration, Composite Materials, Radio and Electronics are all part of this scouting event. The NASA Digital Learning Labs team will be involved via video conference and girls and boys, ages 11 to 20, will participate in amateur radio activities, electronic breadboard projects and robotics. 2. Successful ARISS Contact with United Space School On Saturday, July 30 a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between students at United Space School in Seabrook, Texas and Mike Fossum, KF5AQG on the ISS. Station W6SRJ in California provided the connection. The United Space School is a once a year session of high school students that meets in the NASA/Clear Lake Area. Students come from around the world for a two week session, during which they stay with local host families while being mentored by astronauts, engineers, and scientists to design a mission to Mars as their team project. Class sessions are held at the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Students are given lessons on amateur radio and through the ARISS contact they learn firsthand what spaceflight is like. They will use this knowledge in their team project, which they will present to the Houston space community at the end of their session. 3. Astronaut Training Status Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG is scheduled for an ARISS Basic Ops class on Monday, August 1. Hopkins is slated to fly with Expedition 37 in September 2013. 4. ARISSat Test A test of ARISSat-1 was conducted over the weekend from ISS. Satellite signals were received by numerous stations around the world, including voice, SSTV, CW, and BPSK on the ARISSat-1 frequencies and the repeated voice signal on 437.55 MHz. The satellite signals made an appearance at several ham gatherings, with reception reports from hams at the Central States VHF Society conference in Texas and the AMSAT-UK conference in England. 5. EE Times Runs ARISSat Blog EE (Electronic Engineering) Times is running a blog called “Chips in Space - The Building of an Amateur Satellite” that will run over the next few weeks describing how the amateur radio satellite, ARISSat-1 was designed and built. The first entry has been posted: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/chips-in-space/4218140/The-Building-of-an-Amateur-Satellite-1 6. ARRL Article on ARISSat-1 The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a story on ARISSat-1 in its July 28 ARRL Letter. The article, “Amateur Radio in Space: Astronauts On Board ISS Get ARISSat-1 Ready for Launch” may be viewed here: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-07-28#toc04 7. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 Test and Upcoming Deployment The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service July 31 bulletin (ANS-212) included several items covering ARISSat-1. The battery was charged and then the satellite was successfully tested over the July 30-31 weekend. Deployment is scheduled for Russian EVA-29 on August 3, beginning at 1400 UTC. To view the stories that follow, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000539.html - ARISSat-1/KEDR On-Air Test Successful; Next: Deployment on August 3 - Radio-to-Soundcard Interface For Access to ARISSat-1/KEDR Bandwidth - Get Ready for ARISSat-1/KEDR BPSK-1000 Telemetry - Get Ready for ARISSat-1/KEDR SSTV Reception - N7HPR Blog in EE Times Magazine Documents ARISSat-1/KEDR Development - View Student Projects Flying on ARISSat-1 8. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISSat-1 On July 29, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1772 had a piece on the upcoming deployment of ARISSat-1. “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Made Ready for Deployment from ISS” may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** July 25, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for United Space School, Seabrook, Texas on Saturday, July 30 at 17:01 UTC via station W6SRJ in California. The United Space School is a once a year session of high school students that meets annually in the NASA/Clear Lake Area. These students come from around the world for a two week session, during which they stay with local host families while being mentored by astronauts, engineers, and scientists to design a mission to Mars as their team project. Class sessions are held at the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Students will be given lessons on amateur radio and through the ARISS contact opportunity they will learn firsthand what the experience of spaceflight is like. They will use this knowledge in putting together their team project presentation, which they will present to the Houston space community at the end of their session. 2. Successful ARISS Contacts Youth attending the University of Alberta – ISSET Space Academy (Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, July 20. Over 130 people attended the event and listened as the campers put 18 questions to on-orbit Astronaut Mike Fossum, KF5AQG. The Academy, designed for children in grades 7 – 9 who are interested in space exploration, provides them the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities such as launching model rockets, building interactive robots and on this day, speaking with an astronaut in space. Representatives from 5 television stations, 1 radio station and 2 newspapers covered the event. To view the Edmonton Journal story, see: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Kids+launch+questions+into+space+connect+with+astronaut/5135656/story.html On Saturday, July 23, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held with the children of European Space Agency (ESA) employees attending the ESA Space Camp 2011 in San Rossore (Pisa), Italy. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA was on hand to introduce the ARISS event and greeted his fellow astronaut Mike Fossum on the ISS. Fossum then fielded 20 questions posed to him by the youth as an audience of approximately 200 looked on. The camp offers a program of sports, nature and science activities during its two week session. 3. ARISS International Team Teleconference Held The ARISS International Team monthly teleconference was held on Tuesday, July 19. Among agenda items discussed were the upcoming ARISS face to face meeting and the plans for ARISSat-1/Kedr deployment. Minutes have been posted. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-07-19.htm 4. ARISSat-1, Upcoming Test and Deployment The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service July 24 bulletin (ANS-205) has several items covering ARISSat-1. The battery will be charged July 27-28 to prepare for the test that will be conducted on the ISS over the weekend of July 30-31 and its deployment, currently scheduled for August 3. AMSAT-UK members plan to be active on GB4FUN during the ARISSat test. These stories, “EVA for ARISSat-1/KEDR Deployment Planned for August 3,” “ARRISat-1 PCSAT32 Doppler info,” and “AMSAT-UK Colloquium Activity,” may be viewed at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000534.html The American Radio Relay League also reported on this ARISSat news. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-test-and-launch 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on SAREX On July 22, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1771 covered the history of Owen Garriott’s first amateur radio contacts on STS-9 and the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) program that followed. The story, “Ham Radio in Space: A Look Back at the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment” may be viewed here: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** July 18, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts University of Alberta – ISSET Space Academy (Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, July 20 at 15:27 UTC. ISSET's Space Academy is designed for kids in grades 7-9 interested in space exploration as a hands-on five day camp. Trainees will build and launch model rockets and experience real challenges faced by astronauts in space, such as performing complex tasks at the direction of mission control on Earth, their only connection a walkie-talkie. The youth will handle real meteorites and will have access to the AMMI Lab, the University of Alberta's virtual reality environment. With the help of virtual reality glasses, campers will 'enter' a 3-D magnetic storm in outer space. The camp also includes building interactive robots and an afternoon at the Telus World of Science. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for European Space Agency (ESA) Space Camp 2011, San Rossore, Pisa, Italy on Saturday, July 23 at 09:42 UTC. Approximately 150 children from all over Europe will attend this camp to participate in a program of sports, nature and science and space activities. 2. Ottawa Contact Successful On Thursday, July 14, the City of Ottawa Sports Recreation Camp in Ontario, Canada took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Telebridge station W6SRJ in California provided the connection. One hundred twenty-five students, twelve counselors and many parents were present for the event and watched as the youth asked 16 questions of ISS crew member Ron Garan, KF5GPO. Global National (Canadian network) aired the story nationally and Your Ottawa Region posted an article on its site. http://www.yourottawaregion.com/news/local/article/1043569--ground-control-to-major-tom 3. ARISS-U.S. Receives Proposals for Contacts The NASA Teaching From Space Office received over 100 inquiries about the U.S. proposal process for ARISS contacts that will be scheduled during the January – July 2012 time frame. Twenty-five schools met the July 15 deadline and submitted proposals. The selection process will begin shortly. Another window of opportunity for U.S. schools and organizations to submit proposals will open later in the year. 4. ARRL QST Posts ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) included an ARISS item in its August QST about ARRL at Hamvention, and highlighted Astronaut Doug Wheelock's participation, particularly with the youth activities. 5. AMSAT Provides ARISSat-1 Status The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service July 17 bulletin (ANS-198) included a status on ARISSat-1. The battery will be charged July 27 or 28 and a test will be conducted on the ISS over the weekend of July 30-31. Deployment is scheduled for August 3. “ARISSat-1/KEDR Activation Planned; Deployment Update” may be viewed here: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000532.html 6. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISSat-1 Deployment On July 15, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1770 included a status on the deployment date of ARISSat-1. The story may be found under the heading “Ham Radio in Space.” See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** July 11, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact City of Ottawa Sports Recreation Camp, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, July 14 at 16:21 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The City of Ottawa owns and operates dozens of recreation facilities throughout the city. The Walter Baker Centre is one of the larger facilities incorporating swimming training at all levels, hockey arenas, weight and cardio rooms, aerobic studios and various other fitness related activity centres for all ages, operating all year. The summer camp groups have access to all these facilities including the high school library that forms part of the facility and is attached directly to the school. This year, summer campers are undertaking some new and interesting activities, one of which includes a brief talk with the International Space Station. Substantial interest in this event is anticipated. 2. Japanese Contact Successful On Friday, July 8, students from the Matsumoto School for the Visually Impaired, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Satoshi Furukawa KE5DAW. An audience of approximately 40 people listened as eight students got in one question each before the ISS went over the horizon. Media coverage included 5 newspapers. The school, founded in 1912, currently has an enrollment of 29 students of all ages, that all have one or more disabilities. By participating in this NASA educational program, students have become more interested in space and international communication. 3. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service July 10 bulletin (ANS-191) included an update on the deployment of ARISSat-1. “ARISSat-1/KEDR Deployment Timeline Driven by ISS Schedules” may be viewed here: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000529.html 4. Status of ARISS U.S. Proposal Process ARISS has received 100 inquiries about the U.S. proposal process for contacts that will be scheduled during the January – July 2012 time frame. Proposals have started to come in and may be submitted until the deadline of July 15, 2011. Another window of opportunity for U.S. schools and organizations to submit proposals will open later in the year. *********************** July 4, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Matsumoto School for the Visually Impaired, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan on Friday, July 8 at 08:31 UTC. The school was founded in 1912 and has 29 students of all ages. All of the students have one or more disabilities. Participating in this NASA education program will give students the opportunity to practice their English and learn more about the International Space Station. This will increase their interest in space and promote international communication. 2. Italian Contact not Successful An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was scheduled for the Youth Hostel “La Foresta” in Perugia, Italy on Friday, July 1. Due to technical difficulties, the contact did not take place. ARISS is looking into the problem. 3. Amateur Radio Newsline on U.S. ARISS Proposals On July 1, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1768 included a story on the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools. “Ham Radio in Space: July 15 Deadline to Schedule ARISS Contacts” may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 4. AMSAT Prepares for ARISSat-1 Deployment The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service July 3 bulletin (ANS-184) included an article for hams to prepare for the deployment of ARISSat-1. “Getting Ready for ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Operation” may be viewed here: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000527.html *********************** June 27, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for the Youth Hostel “La Foresta” in Perugia, Italy on Friday, July 1 at 14:48 UTC. Panda Adventure organizes summer camps for youth, ages 11 -14, that focus on space education. The program is strengthened through the cooperation with ESA /ESRIN that provided the camp with educational materials. Activities include field researches, experiments, use of technical instruments, and games to explore the Earth and Sky and to research solutions to save our planet. 2. Japanese Contact Successful On Tuesday, June 21, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Nankan 4th Elementary School in Tamanagun, Kumamoto, Japan and on-orbit astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW. There was a delay in making contact, but once established, the students got in nine questions. This unique activity supplemented lesson plans about amateur radio technology and the International Space Station mission. An audience of approximately 100 attended the event which was covered by 5 newspapers and 5 television stations, including NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). 3. ARISS International Team Teleconference Held The monthly ARISS International Team meeting was held on Tuesday, June 21. Topics covered included the upcoming ARISS Face to Face meeting in October and a status on the ARISSat-1 satellite, designated KEDR in Russia. Minutes have been posted: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-06-21.htm 4. News of U.S. ARISS Proposal Process Distributed The NASA EXPRESS message sent on June 16 included an item on ARISS contact opportunities for U.S. schools using the new proposal process. Also made aware of these opportunities were other U.S. education organizations such as Solar System Ambassadors, Space Grant Community, INSPIRE, WISH, Endeavor Fellows and the Museum Alliance. 5. Astronaut Training Status Don Pettit, KD5MDT, and André Kuipers, PI9ISS, were given an ARISS preflight session on June 22. The two astronauts hope to participate in ARISS contacts during their flight with Expedition 30 which will launch in November 2011. 6. ARISS Items in ARRL Letter The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran two ARISS items in its June 23 ARRL Letter. The first story is about the astronauts who recently passed their amateur radio Technician exams and were issued call signs. This piece is titled “NASA Astronauts and Astronaut Candidates Earn Amateur Radio Licenses.” The second item is titled “Field Day from Space: International Space Station Could be Active for ARRL Field Day.” Both stories may be viewed at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-06-23 7. AMSAT Covers ARISS Proposal The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service June 26 bulletin (ANS-177) included another announcement about the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools. “July 15 Deadline to File ARISS Contact Proposals” may be found here: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000526.html *********************** June 20, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Nankan 4th Elementary School in Tamanagun, Kumamoto, Japan on Tuesday, June 21 at 09:00 UTC. Through this opportunity students will learn about the mission of the International Space Station and about amateur radio technology. 2. Germany Contact to be Rescheduled The ARISS contact that was scheduled with Hochtaunusschule in Oberursel, Hessen, Germany on Tuesday, June 14 was not successful. The ARISS team is trying to determine what happened and hopes to reschedule the contact sometime in the future. 3. AMSAT Covers ARISSat-1 The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-170) published on June 19 included two ARISS-related items. “It's Time to Get Ready For ARISSat-1” provides information about the features of the ARISSat satellite and “ARISSat-1 Team Pointers to Get Ready for SSTV Reception” talks about the satellite cameras and how the amateur radio operator can capture SSTV images. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000523.html 4. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Mike Hopkins (Expedition 37) passed his amateur radio Technician exam on Thursday, June 9. He was issued the call sign KF5LJG. On Monday, June 13, several astronaut candidates passed their Technician License exams and were issued the following callsigns: Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT Jeremy Hansen, KF5LKU In addition, Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS upgraded from Technician to General. Another round of tests for the latest class of astronauts may be conducted in the near future. A successful ARISS simulated contact was held between Kevin Ford, KF5GPP and youth from John McCrae Secondary High School, Ottawa, Canada on Monday, June 13. The training session was a terrestrial-based amateur radio contact using ARISS equivalent equipment and helped to prepare Ford for participation in ARISS contacts when he flies with Expedition 33 in September 2012. Don Pettit, KD5MDT and André Kuipers, PI9ISS are scheduled for an ARISS preflight session on June 22. The two astronauts are part of Expedition 30 which will launch in November 2011. 5. Debrief Session Held with Expedition 26/27 Crew Members On Wednesday, June 15 ARISS members participated in an ISS Ham debrief session with Expedition 26/27 crew members Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli. The astronauts provided good feedback on the ARISS program. *********************** June 13, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Hochtaunusschule in Oberursel, Hessen, Germany on Tuesday, June 14 at 11:49 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The contact will be held during the state event “Hessentag 2011” to interest high school students in wireless technology. 2. Successful ARISS Contacts On Tuesday, June 7, students attending South West College Enniskillen, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO via telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. Eleven questions about living in space were asked and answered. The contact was integrated into the science curriculum covering topics such as gravity and force, climate change, weather systems and the impacts of science on ecosystems. The BBC printed an article covering the event. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13682073 Lycée européen Charles de Gaulle in Dijon, France, participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, June 9 via station VK4KHZ in Australia. Students who have been studying the Russian language spoke in Russian with cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko, getting answers to 17 questions before losing contact with the ISS. The school incorporated the contact into its Space Day event, organized to celebrate 50 years of human spaceflight. 3. ESA Article on Nespoli Mission The European Space Agency Italia ran a story about astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA and the educational activities he participated in during his mission on the ISS, including the many ARISS contacts he performed. The article, “Paolo Nespoli e ARISS, un contatto spaziale da record” may be viewed here in Italian: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8UYJ4LOG_Italy_0.html The English translation may be found here: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8UYJ4LOG_Italy_0.html&ei=YDHyTeXqKoPq0gGfrJz3Cw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8UYJ4LOG_Italy_0.html%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DL63%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1247%26bih%3D710%26prmd%3Divns 4. Challenger Learning Centers Promote ARISS The Challenger Learning Center (CLC) is promoting ARISS contacts. In its June 2011 SOAR, the E-Newsletter for Educators, CLC included an item about the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools. 5. AMSAT – ARISSat-1 News The June 12 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-163) included an article titled “ARISSat-1 Reception Challenge.” The story provides several ways people can participate in ARISSat-1 when it is deployed in July. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000521.html 6. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Mike Hopkins (Expedition 37) passed his amateur radio Technician License exam on Thursday, June 9. His call sign should be issued in about a week. An ARISS simulated contact is planned between Kevin Ford, KF5GPP and youth from John McCrae Secondary High School, Ottawa, Canada on Monday, June 13 at approximately 18:30 UTC. The training session is a terrestrial-based amateur radio contact using ARISS equivalent equipment. The session will prepare Ford for participation in ARISS contacts when he flies with Expedition 33 in September 2012. Don Pettit, KD5MDT and André Kuipers, PI9ISS are scheduled for an ARISS preflight session on June 22. The two astronauts are part of Expedition 30 which will launch in November 2011. *********************** June 6, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact South West College Enniskillen, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, June 7 at 10:28 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contact has been incorporated into many school disciplines. As an example, Applied Science students have carried out experiments to learn how gravity and force affect space and they’ve studied the impact science technology has on human development and the environment. Topics including climate change, weather systems and the impacts of science on ecosystems have been explored. 2. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On June 3, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1764 included a story on the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools. “Ham Radio in Space: New US Only Selection Process Announced for ARISS Contacts” may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 3. Astronaut Training Status An ARISS simulated contact is planned with Kevin Ford, KF5GPP on June 13. Ford is scheduled to fly with Expedition 33 in September 2012. Don Pettit, KD5MDT and André Kuipers, PI9ISS are scheduled for an ARISS preflight session on June 22. The two astronauts are part of Expedition 30 which will launch in November 2011. 4. ARISS Presentations at Ham-Com 2011 The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) National Convention will be held at the Ham-Com 2011 in Plano, Texas on Friday and Saturday, June 10 - 11. Several ARISS presentations will be given during the event: ARISSat-1 a Satellite for STEM Education and Fun Presented by Keith Pugh, W5IU Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Presented by Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO Introduction to Amateur Radio Satellites Presented by Douglas Quagliana, KA2UPW For more information, see: http://www.hamcom.org *********************** May 30, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts The ARISS team continues to work on scheduling school contacts as the STS-134 crew members depart the ISS. 2. Successful ARISS Contact for Escola EBI/JI de Montenegro On Monday, May 23 students from Escola EBI/JI de Montenegro in Faro, Portugal participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH. The contact complemented the school’s science and math curriculum through which students took part in astronomy contests, built small AM radios, and attended presentations given by amateur radio operators. An audience of 50 students and hams attended the contact and listened as Coleman answered 20 questions. Another 900 students nationwide viewed the event over the internet. Local and national radio and television provided media coverage. To view the digital mais tv report, see: http://www.digitalmaistv.com/videos/1840.html 3. ARRL Letter Covers ARISS Proposal Process The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a story on the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools in its May 26 ARRL Letter. There will be two windows of opportunity each year for U.S. schools and organizations to submit proposals for an ARISS contact. A window is currently open for U.S. schools; proposals should be submitted by July 15, 2011 for a contact that will be scheduled during the January – July 2012 time frame. NASA sent out an EXPRESS message to 18,000 educators letting them know of this opportunity. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/nasa-and-ariss-reach-out-to-educators 4. AMSAT – New ARISS Proposal The May 29 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-149) included a story on the new ARISS-US proposal procedure. “ARISS Announces New Process for US School Contact Proposals” may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000517.html 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On May 27, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1763 included two ARISS-related items. “Hamvention 2011: It Was the Show to be at” describes Doug Wheelock’s appearance at the Dayton Hamvention over the May 20-22 weekend, which was a big hit with the crowds. The second piece under “Ham Radio in Space” covers the return to Earth of Expedition 27 crew members Dmitri Kondratyev, Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH and Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA on May 23. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** May 23, 2011 1. Successful ARISS Contact with Debica, Poland On Thursday, May 19, an ARISS contact was held between Primary and Junior High Schools Complex in Podgrodziein, Debica, Poland and on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO. The contact complemented the science curriculum covering physics and astronomy. Local amateur radio operators, experienced in satellite contacts, worked with the school’s radio club to prepare for this event. Approximately eighty students were in attendance and listened as Garan fielded 14 space-related questions. News coverage was provided by radio, television and newspapers. 2. ARISS International Team Meeting Held The monthly ARISS partners meeting was held on Tuesday, May 17. Topics of discussion included the ISS National Lab, the new proposal process for U.S. schools and the Ericsson radio which was recently installed in the Columbus Module. Minutes will be posted to the ARISS Web site in the near future. http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arissmin.htm 3. ARRL QST Posts ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) included several ARISS-related items in its June QST. "In Brief" column told about Astronaut Chris Cassidy earning his Amateur Radio license KF5KDR, and Astronaut Luca Parmitano earning his Amateur Radio license KF5KDP. The "Happenings" column ran their photos and a lengthier story about them. Then the two-page pictorial ran, titled "Houston, We Have Amateur Radio!" written by ARRL Chief Operating Office Harold Kramer, WJ1B. There was a short summary about the ARISS education program, and then pictures of Kenneth Ransom with the radio in the simulator, the antenna on the ISS mockup, the Kenwood radio, W5RRR's satellite antenna on the tower, W5RRR's president (John Maca, AB5SS) with Harold, Mission Control, and Don Pettit, KD5MDT with Kenneth Ransom and Mark Severance. 4. ARRL Article on New Process for U.S. Schools The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran a Web story on the new ARISS proposal process for U.S. schools. There will be two windows of opportunity each year for U.S. schools and organizations to submit proposals for an ARISS contact. A window is currently open and proposals should be submitted by July 15, 2011 for a contact that will be scheduled during the January – July 2012 time frame. NASA sent out an EXPRESS message to 18,000 educators letting them know of this opportunity. The message may be found at the end of the article. http://www.arrl.org/news/nasa-and-ariss-reach-out-to-educators *********************** May 16, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts The ARISS team continues to work on the school contact schedule. The next contacts to be held are dependent on the launch date of STS-134. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Monday, May 9 students from St. Michael School in Schererville, Indiana and astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS took part in an ARISS contact. The school partners with the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana and provided students with this ARISS contact to highlight its science curriculum. Approximately 430 students, teachers and guests watched and listened as 16 questions about life in space were asked and answered. Contact video was streamed on the internet and representatives from three newspapers covered the event. The Times posted an article. See: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/schererville/article_1a1b5c1d-0f5d-5f33-b9ae-25bad21e6e9e.html Mount Carmel Academy students from Houston, Texas participated in an ARISS contact with on-orbit astronaut Ron Garan, KF5GPO on Tuesday, May 10 via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. This was Garan’s first ARISS contact and he handled nine questions, providing comprehensive answers. The contact complemented lessons on the International Space Station as well as amateur radio and Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club provided follow-on educational support. News of the ARISS contact reached approximately 580,000 households through the Comcast Channel 18 simulcast of Houston Independent School District news and through KUHF, the local PBS radio station. See: http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1305066316 Students from Tecnico Industriale Statale “Gerolamo e Margherita Montani,” in Fermo, Italy established an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Thursday, May 12. The contact highlighted the school curriculum which focuses on Chemistry, Biotechnology, Electronics, Computer Science, Telecommunications and Mechanics. Nespoli fielded 21 questions posed by the youth over two ISS passes. The event was attended by nearly 300 students and visitors and video was streamed over the internet. An ARISS contact was held between students from Primary School Pasquale Luisi and Secondaria Di 1° Grado Virgilio, both located in Foggia, Italy, and ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli on Saturday, May 14. An audience of 200 attended the event and listened as Nespoli spoke to the students over two consecutive ISS passes, answering a total of 18 questions. Through this contact and related studies, students were introduced to amateur radio, astronauts and the International Space Station. 3. AMSAT News on ARISS Events The May 15 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-135) contained an update to the ARISS related activities which will be held at the Dayton Hamvention on May 20 - 22. It also included a status on ARISSat-1 and a piece on AMSAT’s involvement with the National Air and Space Museum Space Day 2011 event. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000514.html *********************** May 9, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts St. Michael School, Schererville, Indiana has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, May 9 at 18:00 UTC. The school partners with the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana. Students are provided with a variety of learning experiences. In addition to this ARISS contact, students are also involved with Science Lab, Creative Communications, Rube Goldberg, School Television Broadcast and Weather Bug. Mount Carmel Academy, Houston, Texas has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, May 10 at 15:29 UTC via telebridge station ON4ISS in Belgium. Mount Carmel students have been learning about the International Space Station, the ARISS program, and amateur radio. The mechanics of performing a contact with an orbiting body have been discussed and the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club has provided follow-on educational support. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA participated in an ARISS contact with students attending Greenville Elementary School in Greenville, Illinois on Friday, May 6 using the Ericsson radio which was recently installed in the Columbus module. Fifteen questions were asked and answered before the ISS went over the horizon. Greenville, a NASA Explorer School, has developed a curriculum which promotes interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, (STEM) and geography. Local radio operators provide in-services and demonstrations, as well as training and support for staff and students with an interest in radio. Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Enrico Mattei” students in Maglie, Italy spoke with on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Saturday, May 7 via an ARISS contact. Approximately 200 students and visitors turned out for the event and listened as the astronaut fielded the 18 questions posed to him. The contact had been integrated into a curriculum that focused on radio-telecommunications and space research. Another project that the school recently participated in with its partner ASI- Italian Space Agency was the project “COSMIC RAYS.” On Saturday, May 7, the Turin Flying Institute in Caselle Torinese, Italy experienced an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS. Twenty space-related questions prepared by the youth were answered over 2 consecutive ISS passes. Nearly 150 students and guests were in attendance and the event video was streamed over the internet. The contact was incorporated into the science curriculum which included courses on Electronics, Radios and Astronomical Navigation. An ARISS contact was held on Saturday, May 7 at the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of the Space Day 2011 celebration. The radio link was provided by station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. A number of AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) volunteers engaged visitors in satellites and space and a presentation was given about amateur radio. A screen displayed a PowerPoint presentation about the ISS and ham radio and audio/visual equipment allowed visitors to hear the questions and answers. The average crowd in the Museum on this Saturday in May is about 30,000. 3. AMSAT – Upcoming Activities at Dayton Hamvention The May 8 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-128) has an item about activities planned for the Dayton Hamvention, to be held on May 20 – 22, which will include a visit from astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, a display of the ARISSat-1 prototype and a talk on ARISSat-1 given by Project Manager Gould Smith, WA4SXM. In addition, Dave Jordan will speak about ARISS at Dayton's Teachers Forum. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000512.html 4. Astronaut Training Status Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX took part in a preflight session on Wednesday, May 4. He is slated to fly with Expedition 29 in September 2011. Tom Marshburn (Expedition 34) is scheduled for an ARISS basic ops session on Monday, May 9. *********************** May 2, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts The ARISS team is working on the school contact schedule. The next contacts to be held are dependent on the launch date of STS-134. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts Cadets from the Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli, Italy took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, April 28 via telebridge station LU1CGB in Argentina. The audience consisted of 400 officers, students, teachers, visitors and media who watched as students put 10 questions to ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA. Greetings were exchanged during the time remaining. The activity, integrated into the aerospace engineering curriculum, also drew interest from the scientific community. On Friday, April 29, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS and students attending Ecole Primaire de Larochette (Fiels) in Larochette (Fiels), Luxembourg. Telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii provided the radio link. Coleman fielded 20 space-related questions put to her by the youth. The radio contact was the culmination of a science program covering space exploration, communications and human spaceflight. Scuola Secondaria I Grado “M.Maccioni” Nuoro, Nuoro, Italy, participated in an ARISS contact on Friday, April 29 using radio station IK1SLD in Italy. Approximately 200 students, teachers and visitors listened as on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA answered 17 questions from the students. The contact was held in collaboration with the Astronomical Association of Nuoro during Spring Festival and was integrated in the Maccioni students’ studies of astronomy and space flight. 3. Ericsson Radio Installed in Columbus Module Astronaut Cady Coleman installed the Ericsson VHF radio in the Columbus Module on Tuesday, April 26. Paolo Nespoli followed up, speaking with ARISS telebridge stations and others on the ground to test the radio. The May 1 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-121) covered the news. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000510.html 4. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On April 29, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1759 included an item covering the Gagarin event during which ARISSat-1 was to be activated. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 5. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP (Expedition 36) participated in an ARISS basic operations session on Monday, April 25. Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX is scheduled for a preflight session in early May. He is slated to fly with Expedition 29 in September 2011. *********************** April 25, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts The Italian Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, April 28 at 07:04 UTC via telebridge station LU1CGB in Argentina. This contact has been integrated into the aerospace engineering curriculum for cadets and will draw interest from the scientific community. Ecole Primaire de Larochette (Fiels), Larochette (Fiels), Luxembourg has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, April 29 at 10:12 UTC via station WH6PN in Hawaii. School lesson plans have covered space exploration, communications and human spaceflight. Field trips, radio demonstrations and hands-on activities have been planned. The radio contact with the ISS will be the highlight of this science program. Scuola Secondaria I Grado “M.Maccioni” Nuoro, Nuoro, Italy, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, April 29 at 15:56 UTC via station IK1SLD in Italy. The contact will be held in collaboration with the Astronomical Association of Nuoro during Spring Festival and has been integrated in the Maccioni students’ studies of astronomy and space flight. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Monday, April 18, an ARISS contact was held between youth visiting the Toyota Children’s Scientific Expedition in Toyota, Aichi, Japan and Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS. The Scientific Expedition teaches children about science and engineering through the various experiments it offers and on this day, the ARISS contact was the featured event, drawing approximately 100 people including representatives from four newspapers. Video is available: http://www.ariss.jp/toyota/video/ARISS.wmv On-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA participated in a successful contact with students from Primary School “Dante Alighieri” De Neuquen located in Neuquen – Patagonia, Argentina, on Monday, April 18. Four hundred students and guests attended the event and were pleased that Nespoli continued answering their questions over a second ISS pass. The contact was performed with support from CETRA (Science Education and Technology united by Ham Radio), a delegation of AMSAT-Argentina which promotes space activities and amateur radio in schools, using station LU8YY. This activity was integrated into the science and technology curriculum. On Saturday, April 23, Istituto Comprensivo Dedalo 2000 – Scuola secondaria di Cingia de’ Botti students in Solarolo Rainerio, Italy spoke with astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA via an ARISS contact, using telebridge station W6SRJ in California for the radio link. Nearly 150 students, teachers and guests turned out for the event during which Nespoli answered 18 space-related questions. The contact was the culmination of science lessons covering astronomy, physics of radio waves, the history of space flights and the history of radio communications. 3. ARISS International Team Meeting Held The ARISS International Team held its monthly teleconference on Tuesday, April 19. A status was given on the radio that will be installed in the Columbus Module and a discussion was held about issues concerning the recent Gagarin Commemorative Event. Minutes have been posted. See: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-04-19.htm 4. ARISS in ARRL QST The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) included an ARISS item in its May QST. The “In Brief” column discusses how Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, will be attending the ARRL Expo exhibits at the Dayton Hamvention as a special guest of ARRL and AMSAT. 5. AMSAT Update on ARISSat-1 The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service put out a bulletin (ANS-114) on April 24 that gave an update on ARISSat-1. The item talks about the satellite’s battery status and how this affected its activation during the Gagarin Event on April 12. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000508.html *********************** April 18, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Toyota Children’s Scientific Expedition, Toyota, Aichi, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, April 18 at 10:05 UTC. The Toyota Children’s Scientific Expedition was established in 2009 to teach children about science and engineering through the various experiments it offers. It hopes that youth will be inspired by this exciting amateur radio communication with the ISS. Primary School “Dante Alighieri” De Neuquen, located in Neuquen – Patagonia, Argentina, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, April 18 at 12:25 UTC. The contact will be performed with support from CETRA (Science Education and Technology united by Ham Radio), a delegation of AMSAT-Argentina which promotes space activities and amateur radio in schools, using station LU8YY. This activity has been integrated into science and technology lessons and plans have been made for students to visit the local observatory to research the history of space exploration and space shuttles. Istituto Comprensivo Dedalo 2000 – Scuola secondaria di Cingia de’ Botti in Solarolo Rainerio, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, April 23 at 09:13 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Students participating in this ARISS activity have been learning about astronomy, physics of radio waves, the history of space flights and the history of radio communications. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts Students from John XXIII College, Perth, Western Australia experienced an ARISS contact on Monday, April 11. Telebridge station W6SRJ in California provided the radio connection. On-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH fielded 13 questions from the students who were interested in how missions on the ISS benefit life on Earth as well as future missions to Mars. On Wednesday, April 13, Hopewell Ave Public School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada took part in an ARISS contact via telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii. Six hundred students gathered in the gym for the event and listened to astronaut Paolo Nespoli answer 16 questions posed by the youth. ARISS mentors took large screens to the school and showed the students videos of space and the ISS construction along with some special effect videos. The school and community were thrilled with the ARISS contact and the opportunity for their young students to take part in this event. Talk Radio CFRA ran a story about the contact: http://www.cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=78953 An ARISS contact was held between middle school students attending Istituto Sociale, a Catholic school in Turin, Italy and ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Thursday, April 14. The radio connection was made possible via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. Students asked 19 questions concerning things such as mission training and the daily routine and tasks performed on the ISS. Over 200 students, teachers and guests turned out for the event. The ARISS contact was highly appreciated, since many modules of the ISS have been built in Turin by Thales Alenia Space. Regional and local media covered the event. 3. ARRL Article on ARISS Telebridge Station The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran in its April 14 ARRL Letter the NASA story covering the Sacred Hearts School in Hawaii that houses ARISS telebridge station WH6PN. ARISS’s Dick Flagg and Nancy Rocheleau are mentioned in the article, as well as the girls who assist with the contacts. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/from-the-hearts-providing-a-way-for-others-to-communicate-with-the-iss 4. AMSAT Update on ARISSat-1 On April 14, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service put out a special bulletin (ANS-104) that gave an update on ARISSat-1, which was to have been activated over April 11 – 13 for the Gagarin Commemorative Event. The ARISSat team is trying to determine why the activation was not successful. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000505.html 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On April 15, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1757 included an item, “Ham Radio in Space: Three Retiring Space Shuttles to have New Homes.” The story talked about Owen Garriott’s flight with ham radio that lead to the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) program and later to Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt 6. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP (Expedition 36) is scheduled for an ARISS basic operations session on Monday, April 25. Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX is scheduled for a preflight session in early May. He is slated to fly with Expedition 29 in September 2011. *********************** April 11, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Hopewell Ave Public School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, April 13 at 16:10 UTC. Telebridge station WH6PN in Hawaii will provide the connection. The contact has been integrated into the science curriculum on space. Students have learned about the ISS via video, internet and guest speakers and have completed space related projects. The school formed a space club consisting of students from grades 1-8. From these students, candidates were chosen to ask questions of the astronauts aboard the ISS. Istituto Sociale, Torino, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, April 14 at 08:49 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE in Maryland. This contact will complement the school’s astronomy lessons. Students involved with the contact are participating in several activities which include a visit to the Planetarium Pino Torinese, watching movies about orbiting missions and modeling the solar system to scale. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place between Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS and students from Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Enrico Fermi,” Lucca, Italy, on Monday, April 4. The contact was the featured event of a science curriculum covering physics, space and robotics. Approximately 150 students and guests were present and listened as Nespoli answered the 18 questions posed to him. Regional and local media covered the news. On Monday, April 4, on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH participated in an ARISS contact with Rosebud Secondary College students in Victoria, Australia. Telebridge station W6SRJ in California handled the radio connection. Eighteen students had their questions answered during the ISS pass. The contact was integrated into science courses covering space and physics and students participated in hands-on activities such as model building, water powered rockets and student-designed experiments. Students from two Italian schools in Italy, Scuola Primaria III Circolo “Tiro a Segno” in Fermo and Scuola Primaria “Viale della Vittoria” in Montecosaro, jointly participated in an ARISS contact on Wednesday, April 6. Audiences of 200 and 150 respectively, gathered for the contact with ISS astronaut Paolo Nespoli. The activity complemented studies about space, technology, astronauts and the International Space Station. In addition, amateur radio operators from Fermo gave lessons on the importance and use of telegraphy. News coverage was provided by local and regional media outlets. 3. ARISSat-1 to be Activated April 11 for Gagarin Anniversary On April 10, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-100) posted information on the ARISSat-1 satellite which will be activated on Monday, April 11 at approximately 14:30 UTC in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight. The satellite will run in low power mode until Wednesday, April 13 at 10:30 UTC. For more details, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000501.html Also covering this news was the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in its article, “ARISSat-1 On the Air for Gagarin Anniversary.” http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-on-the-air-for-gagarin-anniversary To view the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1756, “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 to be on the Air to Celebrate Gagarins Flight,” see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt Dave Jordan, AA4KN called in to NPR's Science Friday program to talk about ARISSat-1. To listen to the podcast, go to: http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201104083 *********************** April 4, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Two Italian schools in Italy, Scuola Primaria III Circolo “Tiro a Segno” in Fermo and Scuola Primaria “Viale della Vittoria” in Montecosaro, have been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, April 6 at 07:10 UTC. Students have been learning about technology through an educational path of research and experiments. Amateur radio operators from Fermo have been teaching the youth the importance and use of telegraphy. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas participated in an ARISS contact with ISS astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on Tuesday, March 29. Students researched and studied the topic of space travel to prepare their questions and were able to get 13 answered before the ISS went over the horizon. The students used the high school’s own satellite tracking station for the contact. MyFOXAustin.com posted a story on the event: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/top_stories/Lehman-HS-Students-Tal-to-Astronauts-20110329-ktbcw On Wednesday, March 30, students from Canterbury High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada took part in an ARISS contact with astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS. Approximately 450 students and administrators attended the event and listened as Nespoli handled 10 questions from the students. The contact was included in the Grades 9 and 10 curricula covering Earth and Space Science, Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration. The Ottawa Citizen ran an article on the contact. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Canterbury+students+enjoy+this+world+conversation/4533084/story.html An ARISS contact was held on Saturday, April 2 between on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA and students from Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Leonardo da Vinci” and Istituto Comprensivo Scolastico “G. Tedeschi,” Pratola Peligna, Italy. Students from both schools posed 23 questions to the astronaut over two ISS passes. The contact highlighted the telecommunications curriculum, and was supported by local radio amateurs. The event was attended by over 100 people including regional and local media representatives. 3. ARRL Covers Ham Astronauts The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a story in its March 31 ARRL Letter about two astronauts who recently earned their ham licenses. “Two Astronauts Get Their Ham Ticket” may be found here: http://www.arrl.org/news/two-astronauts-get-their-ham-ticket 4. AMSAT Posts News on ARISSat, Hamvention On April 3, AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) posted ARISS-related items in its News Service bulletin (ANS-093). The first story covered the anticipated activation of ARISSat-1 which will occur over April 11 – 13 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight. Another story was about the upcoming Dayton Hamvention on May 20 – 22 which will feature an ARISSat prototype and will be attended by astronaut Doug Wheelock. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000498.html 5. NASA Article on ARISS Telebridge Station NASA wrote an article about Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girls school in Hawaii that has a telebridge station which can be used to link schools with the ISS astronauts during ARISS contacts. ARISS members Dick Flagg and Nancy Rocheleau were interviewed for the story that talks about ARISS and other NASA programs in which the girls are involved. The story, “A Heart-to-Heart Talk” has been posted to the NASA web site. See: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/a-heart-to-heart-talk_prt.htm *********************** March 28, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Lehman High School students in Kyle, Texas have been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, March 29 at 17:40 UTC. The youth have been learning about astronomy, geography and physics and have been studying for their amateur radio Technician licenses. Journalism students have established reporter contacts and will provide news briefs, interview material, photographs and video material to local news outlets. Canterbury High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, March 30 at 14:56 UTC. The ARISS activity will be incorporated into the Grade 9 curriculum through the Earth and Space Science strand and into the Grade 10 curriculum through lessons on Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Leonardo da Vinci”, Pratola Peligna, Italy on Saturday, April 2 at 08:34 UTC. The contact has been integrated into telecommunications, the main focus of this institution, and has been supported by local radio amateurs. Interdisciplinary activities have included the study of electronic systems, the English language and mathematics. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Wednesday, March 23, Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA spoke with students from Istituto Comprensivo di Verano Brianza – Scuola Media in Italy via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Nespoli, an alumnus of the school, exchanged greetings with the youth and answered 15 of their questions. Approximately 250 students, teachers and guests were on hand for the event which received regional and local media coverage. The contact supplemented course studies emphasizing astronautics, astronomy, radio techniques and English. Students from two schools in Italy, Istituto Comprensivo “G. Manzi” and Istituzione Scolalstica “Saint-Roch” jointly participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Saturday, March 26. The activity was part of a curriculum concentrating on space, technology and human spaceflight. Nespoli fielded the students’ 34 questions over 2 consecutive ISS passes as 400 students and visitors gathered for the event. Regional and local media reported the event. 3. AMSAT Posts ARISS News On March 27, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) covered several ARISS-related items in its News Service bulletin (ANS-086). Stories on the 600th ARISS contact with Poland, the recent Munich, Germany contact as well as the astronaut training status were included in the report. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000496.html 4. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS The Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1754 included three ARISS news items. The first piece was about the 600th ARISS contact which was performed by Cady Coleman. Another item covered the two astronauts who just passed their technician license exams and received their call signs and a final report talked about astronaut ham Doug Wheelock who will host the Dayton Hamvention Forum in May. The stories may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** March 21, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Istituto Comprensivo di Verano Brianza – Scuola Media, Verano Brianza, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, March 23 at 12:15 UTC. ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli is an alumnus of the school and his parents still reside in Verano Brianza. The contact will be integrated into the school lessons that focus on astronautics, astronomy, radio techniques and English. Istituto Comprensivo “G. Manzi”, Civitavecchia, Roma, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, March 26 at 08:53 UTC. Students are learning about communication in space, the technology required to get into space and the history of human spaceflight. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Monday, March 14, students from Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn, New Jersey participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA onboard the ISS. The students were able to ask the 10 questions they had prepared for the astronaut with enough time left in the pass to ask an additional question and exchange comments. The contact was the highlight of a science curriculum covering space and earth science as well as human anatomy and physiology. Representatives from three newspapers and one local television station were present. North Jersey Media Group posted an article to its Web site. See: http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/031411_Fair_Lawn_students_talk_to_orbiting_astronaut.html ARISS reached a milestone on Thursday, March 17 when it held its 600th contact between on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH and students from several schools in Plock and Liszyno, Poland. The contact supported lessons about space and space exploration, communication and technology. Scout Amateur Radio Club SP5ZBA handled the radio connection during which the astronaut fielded 19 space related questions. Nearly 120 people were in the audience and came from Plock, Liszyno, Zuromin and Warsaw. There was extensive media coverage that included newspapers, four scientific magazines, one radio magazine, a television station, national radio (two programs) and two internet portals. On Thursday, March 17, Luitpold-Gymnasium Muenchen students in Munich, Germany spoke with Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA on the ISS via an ARISS contact. Nespoli answered 19 questions as an audience of over 110 students, teachers and visitors listened. The contact was the highlight of studies emphasizing aeronautics, scientific work and amateur radio. Several media outlets were present including three radio stations (Bayerischer Rundfunk, Radio Charivari, Radio Arabella), one television station (Bayerisches Fernsehen) and four newspapers (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Abendzeitung, TZ-München, Münchner Merkur). The Bavarian TV channel BR (Bayerisches Fernsehen) posted a clip on its Web site. See: http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/schwaben-und-altbayern-aktuell/funkendes-klassenzimmer-klassenzimmer-von-mutius-ID1300369773682.xml Italian students from ISIP Cossar/Da Vinci in Gorizia and Elena Guerra School in Rome experienced an ARISS contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Saturday, March 19. An audience of roughly 500 students, teachers and guests gathered for the event and listened as the astronaut handled 21 questions about life and activities in space over two consecutive passes. Before the end of the second pass, Nespoli received greetings from students in the Piemonte, Friuli, Venezia, Giulia, Lazio, Sardegna, Campania and Puglia regions in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification. Regional and local media covered the event. 3. ARISS International Team Meeting Held The ARISS International Team held its monthly teleconference on March 15. The meeting began with an overview of the “ISS National Lab.” The team was also updated on the Columbus Module Ham TV project and a brief status was given on ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-03-15.htm 4. Astronaut Training Status Astronauts Luca Parmitano (Expedition 36) and Chris Cassidy (Expedition 35) both passed their amateur radio license exams on March 8. Luca Parmitano was issued call sign KF5KDP and Chris Cassidy received KF5KDR. 5. AMSAT Covers ARISS Contact The AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-079) published an item on the recent ARISS contact held between New Jersey students and astronaut Paolo Nespoli. See: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000494.html 6. Amateur Radio Newsline Posts ARISS News On March 18, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1753 posted an item under Ham Radio in Space. “Two More Astronauts Pass their Amateur Exam” covers the latest ARISS astronaut training. The article may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** March 14, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn, New Jersey has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, March 14 at 15:44 UTC. The contact will be integrated into the curriculum covering space and earth science as well as human anatomy and physiology. Students from five schools in Plock and Liszyno, Poland will jointly participate in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, March 17 at 09:21 UTC. Through this activity and related studies, students will learn about space and space exploration, communication and technology. The Scout Amateur Radio Club SP5ZBA will handle the radio connection for the contact. An ARISS contact has been scheduled for Luitpold-Gymnasium Muenchen, Munich, Bavaria, Germany on Thursday, March 17 at 14:05 UTC. To prepare for their contact, seventeen year olds taking the course “Spaceflight” were joined by children from lower grades to learn about aeronautics and scientific work. The ESA ISS Education Kit was used in their studies and the German amateur radio organization (DARC) gave the youth a comprehensive introduction to amateur radio on the ISS. ISIP Cossar / Da Vinci, Gorizia, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, March 19 at 08:38 UTC. The radio contact, the telecommunication equipment installed and used in the school as well as the collaboration with a local group of amateur radio operators will offer telecommunications students the chance to test instruments able to connect to listening posts 300 km away. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Tuesday, March 8, youth from ICS “Marco D’oggiono”, Oggiono, Italy spoke with Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA via an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The astronaut fielded 13 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Students wanted to know for example, what one needs to do to become an astronaut and what type of research is performed on the ISS. The contact was the featured event of lessons emphasizing astronautics, astronomy, radio techniques and English. Nearly 400 students and teachers and about 100 visitors were present for the contact. Regional television, local media and newspapers covered the event. An ARISS contact took place between youth attending Schulhaus Dorf in Richterswil, Switzerland and on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on Tuesday, March 8. Coleman answered the 22 questions prepared for her with time left to exchange greetings. The contact was the culmination of science lessons on space and gave the students the opportunity to practice their English. Students from “Francesco d’Assisi” Middle School and “Don Lorenzo Milani” Primary School in Modugno, Bari, Italy, experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, March 12. The event was held at “Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza” in Bari where an audience of approximately 150 students, teachers, visitors and media were assembled. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS spoke with the youth over 2 consecutive passes, answering 30 questions about what it is like to live in space. He answered a final question concerning the earthquake in Japan and expressed his concern for the Japanese. Regional television, local media and newspapers covered the event. On Saturday, March 12, Shri Krishna Vithyaalayam Matric School in Pollachi, India participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with ISS astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. Twelve questions were asked and answered. The contact was integrated into science lessons about astronomy, satellites and the ISS and included radio classes taught by the Anamalai Amateur Radio Club located at the school. 3. Astronaut Training Status Astronauts Luca Parmitano (Expedition 36) and Chris Cassidy (Expedition 35) both passed their amateur radio license exams on March 8. Their call signs should be issued within a week. On March 9, Michael Hopkins completed his ARISS introductory course and is currently preparing for his amateur radio license exam. Hopkins is slated to fly with Expedition 37 in September 2013. An ARISS refresher course was provided to Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG on March 11. Hadfield is currently scheduled for Expedition 34, November 2012. 4. ARRL QST Covers ARISS Activities The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) printed a few ARISS items in its April issue of QST, which has a circulation of 156,000. Under its "Media Hits" column was a piece about ARISS and the newspaper articles and TV news stories about Adobe Bluffs Elementary School's ARISS contact and about Foster Heights Elementary/Nelson County Area Technical Center in Kentucky. The "Inside HQ" column, a column giving ARRL 2010 highlights, had a paragraph on education programs including the 48 ARISS QSOs of 2010 (not NASA's fiscal year 2010), and ARISS's 10th anniversary. *********************** March 7, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Shri Krishna Vithyaalayam Matric School, Pollachi (TK), India has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, March 12 at 13:34 UTC via station IK1SLD in Italy. The Anamalai Amateur Radio Club located at the school has been teaching students about the radio. In addition, the astronomy club organized sky watching sessions, and a U.S. scientist visited the school to talk about satellites and the ISS. The ARISS contact will underscore the lessons learned in these activities. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Wednesday, March 2 an ARISS contact was held between on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA and Mackay State High School students in Queensland, Australia via telebridge station VK5ZAI, Australia. All 16 questions were answered. One of the approximately 200 people in attendance was the mayor of Mackay who asked the ARISS team to "keep up the good work - you are doing a great job inspiring our students." He expressed his amazement on how well timed and extremely enjoyable the contact was. Three television stations covered the radio hookup and snippets of the event were broadcast on at least 2 regional TV channels all afternoon following the contact. The Mackay Daily Mercury wrote a story on the event: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2011/03/03/historic-link-to-space-mackay-high-school/ Technological Centre for Innovation in Communications (CeTIC) in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain experienced a successful ARISS contact on Thursday, March 3. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA answered all 20 questions posed to him by the students. The contact supplemented lessons on orbit prediction, satellite tracking and common communications systems. Victory Primary School in Nelson, New Zealand participated in an ARISS contact on Thursday, March 3 via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH answered 17 questions prepared by the students. One additional query was answered with the help of shuttle crew member Alvin Drew. The contact was the culmination of a science curriculum focused on space and technology. 3. NASA Posts Article on Ten Years of ARISS Contacts NASA posted a feature story on the 10th anniversary of ARISS contacts to its Web site. “One Small Radio Call for a Ham” may be found on the following page: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/one-small-radio-call.html 4. AMSAT on ARISSat-1 On March 6, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-065) provided a status on ARISSat-1. On April 12, the satellite will be connected to an external antenna and turned on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s first manned spaceflight. AMSAT plans to distribute certificates to stations that receive its signals. For more information, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000492.html 5. Astronaut Training Status A few exam review sessions were provided for Chris Cassidy this past week. Astronauts Andre Kuipers, PI9ISS and Don Pettit, KD5MDT participated in simulated ARISS contacts with students in Belgium and Canada, respectively on March 3. An ARISS introductory course is planned for Mike Hopkins on March 9 and a refresher course for Chris Hadfield is scheduled for March 10. *********************** February 28, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Mackay State High School in Mackay, Queensland, Australia on Wednesday, March 2 at 01:20 UTC via Australian telebridge station VK5ZAI. The contact has been incorporated into the science curriculum covering astronomy, space exploration, physics, communications and biology. Technological Centre for Innovation in Communications (CeTIC) in Las Palmas, Spain has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, March 3 at 14:17 UTC. Prior to the contact, workshops will be held to introduce students to satellite communications. Topics will include orbit prediction, satellite tracking and common communications systems in both the space and earth segments. In order to promote interest in space technology across the university community, the school held a contest to choose the most original and relevant questions to ask of the astronaut. 2. Recent ARISS Contacts On Tuesday, February 22, Preston North East Primary School students in Preston, Victoria, Australia spoke with astronaut Catherine Coleman, KC5ZTH via an ARISS contact made possible through telebridge station W5RRR in Houston. Over 500 students, teachers and parents were present for the event and listened as the astronaut fielded 14 students’ questions during the 9.5 minute pass. The ARISS contact was the culmination of a curriculum covering Earth and the Solar System. Members of the Nishibori Eizaburo Memorial Explorer Museum Radio Club, Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan participated in an ARISS contact with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Tuesday, February 22. Nespoli handled 14 questions and was answering the fifteenth question as the ISS went over the horizon. The contact highlighted lessons about the ISS, its mission and space science. 3. Astronaut Training Status On Thursday, March 3, astronauts André Kuipers, PI9ISS and Don Pettit, KD5MDT are scheduled to participate in simulated ARISS contacts with students from University of Leuven, Department of Chemistry, Heverlee, Belgium and Manordale Public School, Ottawa, Canada, respectively. The training sessions are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS equivalent equipment. Both astronauts are slated to fly with Expedition 30 in November 2011. 4. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISSat On February 25, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1750 posted two items under the heading ARISSat-1 Update. “More on the ARISSat-1 Deployment Delay” and “ARISSat-1 to Help Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's First Spaceflight” may be found at: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** February 21, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Preston North East Primary School in Preston, Victoria, Australia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, February 22 at 08:04 UTC via telebridge station W5RRR in Houston. Students in Grades 5 and 6 have been engaged in an integrated unit of work that focuses on Earth and the Solar System. The students have been learning why we are able to live on Earth and why other planets are not suitable to sustain human life. Nishibori Eizaburo Memorial Explorer Museum Radio Club, located in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, February 22 at 09:12 UTC. The radio club is an independent club that will use the museum facilities for this event. Children are learning about the ISS mission and space science and it is hoped that the contact will pique student interest in science and space technology. 2. Successful ARISS Contacts Held Students from Matsubara High School, located in Matsubara, Osaka, Japan, experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with U.S. astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on Monday, February 14. The contact, which highlighted lessons on radios and the ISS, was attended by approximately 200 people. Media representatives from 3 newspapers, one radio station and 3 television stations, including NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) covered the event. On Thursday, February 17, students attending “Claudio Varalli,” and “Salvador Allende” High Schools in Milano, Italy participated in an ARISS contact with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS. Telebridge station W5RRR in Houston handled the connection. Varalli, which has both a technical school and a secondary school that focuses on foreign languages, has a radio club station, IZ2SHS that is used to practice languages. “Salvador Allende” emphasizes three courses of study in science, humanities and accounting. More than 100 students, teachers and visitors attended the event and listened as Nespoli fielded 16 questions posed to him by the students. Regional and local media covered the contact, which was available on EchoLink and streamed on the Web. An ARISS contact was held between youth visiting Experiencing Learning, “Imparare Sperimentando,” in San Quirino, Italy and on-orbit astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA on Saturday, February 19 via station LU8YY in Argentina. A crowd of approximately 400 people gathered at Imparare Sperimentando, an interactive exhibition that covers a wide variety of physics experiments and science, and watched as the students asked 16 questions of the astronaut. Regional and local media covered the event. The audio was fed into EchoLink and streaming video was provided by AMSAT-Italia. 3. Kentucky Standard Says ARISS Inspires Students to Study Science The Kentucky Standard Editorial Board printed an article about the recent ARISS - Foster Heights Elementary School contact, made possible with the help of Nelson County Area Technology Center students, and how this activity inspires children to learn more about science and technology. The story talks about how the radio contact fits in with President Barack Obama’s recent State of the Union address on how the nation needs to encourage students to learn and excel, especially in math and science. See: http://www.kystandard.com/content/space-contact-may-increase-science-and-math-interest 4. ARISS International Team Meeting Held The ARISS International Team met for its monthly teleconference on Tuesday, February 15. Discussions included the upcoming ARISS-I face to face meeting, as well as status reports on Columbus Module projects and ARISSat-1 plans. Minutes have been posted to the ARISS Web site. https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-02-15.htm 5. AMSAT - ARISSat-1 Updates On February 20, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-051) provided a status on ARISSat-1. Roscosmos has delayed the deployment of ARISSat-1 until the next Russian EVA scheduled in July. On April 12, the crew will connect the satellite, while still inside the ISS, to an external antenna and turn it on in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s first manned spaceflight. For more information, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000488.html 6. ARRL - Doug Wheelock will be Guest at Dayton Hamvention The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a story in its February 17 ARRL Letter about astronaut Doug Wheelock’s plans to attend the Dayton Hamvention which will be held May 20-22, 2011. Wheelock will talk about his stay on the ISS, his contacts with school children and his many general contacts with hams. For the full story, “Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, to Be Guest of ARRL and AMSAT at Hamvention,®” go to: http://www.arrl.org/news/astronaut-doug-wheelock-kf5boc-to-be-guest-of-arrl-and-amsat-at-hamvention 7. Astronaut Training Status Three astronauts were given the ARISS Basic Operations class this past week. Kevin Ford, KF5GPP (Expedition 33), Chris Cassidy (Expedition 35) and Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI (Expedition 32) all participated in the training sessions. 8. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISSat On February 18, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1749 posted the story, “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Deployment Delayed until July.” The story covers the recent events affecting the satellite. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** February 14, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Matsubara High School in Matsubara, Osaka, Japan has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, February 14 at 12:00 UTC. ARISS has been integrated into lessons covering radios, the ISS and its purpose, and the global environment. An ARISS contact has been scheduled for Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Claudio Varalli,” in Milano, Italy on Thursday, February 17 at 10:33 UTC via telebridge station W5RRR in Houston. I.I.S. Varalli has both a technical school and a secondary school which concentrates in foreign languages. Prior to the ARISS activity, students will learn about space exploration and wireless technology, and will use the school’s amateur radio club station IZ2SHS to practice speaking in English, French, German and Spanish. Experiencing Learning, “Imparare Sperimentando,” in San Quirino, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, February 19 at 11:43 UTC via station LU8YY in Argentina. “Imparare Sperimentando” is an interactive exhibition that covers a wide variety of physics experiments and science appropriate for people of all ages and levels of study. It is meant to represent a new method to teach physics and science, to attract young people and adults in a course often seen as boring or difficult. The exhibits offer a way to learn by trial and error, playing and having fun. 2. Successful ARISS Contacts Held this Week On Thursday, February 10, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA and Istituto Comprensivo Statale “E. Fermi – A. Oggioni,” Villasanta, Monza Brianza, Italy via telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. During the ISS pass Nespoli answered 19 questions and exchanged greetings with the youth. An audience of approximately 200 students and others were on hand for the contact and afterwards, students sang the well known hit "Volare" which means "To fly." Regional and local media and newspapers covered the event and streaming video, provided by AMSAT-Italia, received 80 connections. On-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH participated in an ARISS contact with Lake Silver Elementary School students in Orlando, Florida on February 10 via radio station LU8YY in Argentina. Coleman answered 14 questions as a large crowd of students, parents and guests gathered for the event. The school put together a comprehensive education plan to complement this ARISS contact. An ARISS contact was held between Lillestrřm videregĺende skole, Lillestrřm, Norway and Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS on Friday, February 11. Station W5RRR in Houston, Texas handled the radio connection. Over 150 people assembled for the event and listened as the astronaut fielded eight questions, mainly in Norwegian. The contact was the highlight of a science and applied technology curriculum. National Institute for Astrophysics – Astronomical Observatory of Bologna, Bologna, Italy took part in an ARISS contact on Saturday, February 12 via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA participated from the ISS, answering 16 questions. Approximately 150 people were present for the contact which occurred during the Bologna science festival, “Scienza in Piazza,” held February 3 – 13. The festival focuses on schools, promoting science through hands-on exhibitions and conferences and is backed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Regional and local media and newspapers covered the event. The audio from all contacts was available on EchoLink and IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project). 3. AMSAT Announces Changes in Plans for ARISSat-1 On February 13, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-044) provided a status on ARISSat-1. Over the past week, RSC-Energia made a series of changes to ARISSat-1 plans which included testing the satellite on the ISS and postponing its deployment until July of this year. Two other related items posted in this bulletin included information to prepare for ARISSat SSTV transmissions and educational projects which were submitted and stored on the satellite. To see all stories, go to: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000486.html *********************** February 7, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Istituto Comprensivo Statale “E. Fermi – A. Oggioni,” Villasanta, Monza Brianza, Italy on Thursday, February 10 at 08:31 UTC via telebridge station VK5ZAI in Australia. Forty 13 year olds will participate in this ESA Q&A session. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Lake Silver Elementary School in Orlando, Florida on February 10 at 15:51 UTC via station LU8YY in Argentina. In anticipation of the event, students have participated in many activities related to science lessons covering force and motion. They have learned how the ISS got into space, why it stays there, the speed at which it travels and its orbit. They have also studied sound waves and the atmosphere. The goal is not just to give the students one event, but to truly get them excited about space exploration. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Lillestrřm videregĺende skole, Lillestrřm, Norway on Friday, February 11 at 12:48 UTC. Station W5RRR in Houston, Texas will handle the radio connection. Lillestrom is an upper secondary school which emphasizes science and applied technology. National Institute for Astrophysics – Astronomical Observatory of Bologna, Bologna, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, February 12 at 15:07 UTC via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. The contact will be held during the Bologna science festival called “Scienza in Piazza,” held on February 3-13, 2011. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli will participate. 2. Successful ARISS Contacts On Monday, January 31, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place between astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on the ISS and Arsaniq School in Kangiqsujuaq, Wakeham Bay, Quebec, Canada. Radio station LU8YY in Argentina handled the telebridge connection, allowing Nespoli to answer 16 questions before the ISS went over the horizon. Four hundred people from a village of 800 attended the event, including nearly 200 students, from grades 1 – 12. The Makivik Corporation, a non-profit organization that promotes economic growth of Inuit businesses, sponsored the event. Students from Collčge Joseph Chassigneux in Vinay, France, participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA on Tuesday, February 1. Students taking part in the contact came from mostly rural villages and due to the mountainous countryside, the contact was short with only six questions fielded. The event was the final activity of the school science program covering space and radio. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place between on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH and youth attending Buehl-Realschule Dornstadt in Dornstadt, Germany on Wednesday, February 2. An audience of 130 gathered for the event and watched as the students posed their questions to Coleman. Media reporting on the event included two daily newspapers and a radio station, which did a 2 hour live coverage, and three monthly amateur radio magazines (Funkamateur/AATIS, CQDL, Funktelegramm). The contact news was also broadcasted from the highest 2m relay in Germany. The contact was the highlight of a wireless technology and space curriculum. On Thursday, February 3, Adobe Bluffs Elementary School students in San Diego, California interacted with Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on the ISS through an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The event was the culmination of an education plan covering electromagnetic waves, astronomy and other space-related topics. The radio operator during the event was the 10 year old daughter of the lead teacher Jim McLaughlin and holds Technician license KJ6KDZ. The entire gym was filled with students and parents along with several media outlet representatives. 3. ARISSat-1 Educational Opportunities ARISS-Europe posted a bulletin to its Web site about the educational opportunities presented through the use of the soon to be deployed spacecraft, ARISSat-1. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2011_02_01.htm 4. AMSAT Posts Status on ARISSat-1 On February 6, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-037) included a status report on ARISSat-1. The report talks about the upcoming deployment of the satellite on February 16. To view the update, see: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000484.html 5. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On February 4, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1747 posted one ARISS related story. “Ham Radio in Space: ARISSat-1 Now on the ISS” may be viewed here: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** January 31, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Arsaniq School in Kangiqsujuaq, Wakeham Bay, Quebec, Canada on Monday, January 31 at 19:26 UTC. Telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina will handle the radio connection. Students have learned about the ISS through videos, the internet and guest speakers. Collčge Joseph Chassigneux, located in Vinay, France, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, February 1 at 07:02 UTC. Through this activity, teachers hope to expose students from mostly rural villages to the outside world. In French class, students have written articles for the school magazine about life on the ISS as well as items about their preparations for the radio contact. They have learned technical terms in English, built CW circuits in Physics and have studied continents and countries in Geography. Amateur radio operators plan to discuss the technical aspects of the contact with the youth. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Buehl-Realschule Dornstadt in Dornstadt, Germany on Wednesday, February 2 at 07:32 UTC. Students have been introduced to wireless technology and have participated in related hands-on activities. In addition, workshops have been planned which will teach about the challenges faced in space travel. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Adobe Bluffs Elementary School, San Diego, California on Thursday, February 3 at 17:12 UTC. Through projects and hands on activities, students have been learning about electromagnetic waves, astronomy and other space-related topics. 2. Paolo Nespoli Speaks with Marco da Melo Students via ARISS Istituto Comprensivo “Marco da Melo” in Mel, Belluno, Italy took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, January 25. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA answered the students’ 21 questions over two ISS passes and exchanged greetings with the audience. Nearly 250 students, teachers and visitors were in attendance for the contact. Regional television RAI and local media and newspapers covered the event. Video streamed over the internet received over 50 connections. The ARISS contact was the featured event of a curriculum covering telecommunications, electrophysics and telegraphy. 3. Successful ARISS Contact with Polish School On Wednesday, January 26, astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with students, ages 15 – 18, from Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace Nr I im. Stanislawa Staszica in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland. Coleman answered 20 space-related questions posed to her by the youth. Approximately 150 students, teachers and guests were on hand for this event which was covered by several media outlets. In addition to the required science curriculum, the school sponsors astronomy and amateur radio clubs as well as featured activities such as this ARISS contact, in order to stimulate students’ scientific interests. 4. Nelson County Area Technology Center Sponsors ARISS Contact On Friday, January 28, on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Foster Heights Elementary School students in Bardstown, Kentucky. Nelson County Area Technology Center students operated the amateur radio equipment during the pass during which Coleman answered 16 questions. An audience of approximately 100 people attended the event, including a representative from the Kentucky Department of Education. Television stations and newspapers covered the contact. To view the Kentucky Standard article, go to: http://www.kystandard.com/content/foster-heights-students-use-amateur-radio-speak-astronaut 5. Civitavecchia, Italy Students Radio ISS The primary school “Alessandro Cialdi” in Civitavecchia, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, January 29. ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA answered 17 questions posed by the students from “Autoritŕ Portuale” in Civitavecchia (Port authority of Rome) where an audience of nearly 200 students, teachers, visitors and media gathered for the contact. Before the ISS call, ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF introduced the event with a presentation on the ARISS program. Regional and local media and newspapers covered the event and the video, streamed on the internet by AMSAT-Italia, received 60 connections. 6. AMSAT - ARISSat-1 Delivered to the ISS On January 27, ARISSat-1 was launched on Progress 41P and arrived at the ISS on Saturday, January 29. The satellite is expected to be deployed during a Russian EVA on February 16. The January 30 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-030) included an update on ARISSat-1. “ARISSat-1 Arrives at the International Space Station” may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000482.html The AMSAT Web site has also been revised to include the latest information on ARISSat-1 with links to several news stories covering the satellite. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php 7. ARRL Story on ARISSat-1 Launch The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ran an item on the launch of ARISSat-1 aboard Progress 41P. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-blasts-off 8. Amateur Radio Newsline Covers ARISS On January 28, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1746 posted an item, “ARISSat-1 Set for Trip to the ISS” under its heading Ham Radio in Space. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** January 24, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Istituto Comprensivo “Marco da Melo” in Mel, Belluno, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, January 25 at 07:11 UTC. ARISS will be incorporated into the curriculum as students study and perform experiments involving telecommunications, electrophysics and telegraphy. Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace Nr I im. Stanislawa Staszica in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, January 26 at 07:36 UTC. The school is setting up an astronomy and amateur radio club for the students and there are plans for a series of lectures on astronautical engineering and astronomy. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Foster Heights Elementary School in Bardstown, Kentucky on Friday, January 28 at 16:14 UTC. The Nelson County Area Technology Center will work with and sponsor a direct contact for Foster Heights Elementary. The children will participate in hands-on activities to learn about space, satellites, electricity and radio communications. 2. Two Italian Schools Experience ARISS Contact On Tuesday, January 18, two Italian schools, “Istituto Comprensivo Ladispoli" and Middle School "Corrado Melone”, located in Ladispoli, Rome, Italy participated in a joint Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA. Twenty-eight space-related questions were answered and greetings exchanged over two ISS passes. ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF introduced the event and presented the ARISS program to an audience of 250 students, teachers and visitors. National Television (RAI NEWS 24 hours), local media and newspapers covered the event. The contact was the highlight of a curriculum covering space, geography and telecommunications. 3. Expedition 24 Crew Debrief Session An ARISS debrief session was held with Expedition 24 crewmembers Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC and Shannon Walker, KD5DXB on Tuesday, January 18. The feedback they provided on the ISS Ham radio equipment and school contacts will aid the ARISS team in updating its program procedures. 4. ARISS International Meeting Held The monthly ARISS International Team meeting was held on Tuesday, January 18. Topics of discussion included the upcoming face to face meeting and a status on the Columbus module equipment as well as ARISSat-1. Minutes have been posted. See: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2011-01-18.htm 5. Space Daily Article Includes ARISSat-1 SpaceDaily.com talks about ARISSat-1 at the end of its article about planned Russian EVAs from the ISS. See: http://tinyurl.com/6jeqf5b 6. QST Covers ARISS News The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) February QST has ARISS members Lou McFadin, Gould Smith, and others on a beautiful full-color cover with ARISSat. The article on pages 30-33 talks about the ARISS Team, ARISSat and how to work through the satellite. It has a boxed in area of ideas for how teachers might integrate ARISSat into the curriculum. In addition, 80% of the "Media Hits" column talks about astronaut Doug Wheelock’s activities with schools and individual hams that got publicized. The column starts off with: "Without a doubt, the biggest Amateur Radio news in the end of 2010 was the activity of Colonel Doug Wheelock aboard the International Space Station." The column gives many examples of PR. It then says, "All of these [contacts] were reported in the news along with 400 schoolchildren at the Holy Family Catholic School who made contact, reported in The Daily Sentinel (CO) and on KJCT television." There is also a short piece in the "In Brief" column about Commander Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, returning to Earth after making radio contacts during his 160 days on orbit. The ARRL monthly journal has a circulation of 156,000. 7. AMSAT Posts Update on ARISSat-1 On January 23, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-023) gave an update on ARISSat-1 which included its readiness for launch and its latest Safety Review. “ARISSat-1 Loaded Aboard Progress-41P for Launch on January 28” may be found at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2011/000479.html The AMSAT Web site has also been updated with ARISSat news. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php 8. ARRL Article on NASA’s NanoSail-D The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a story about NASA asking ham radio operators to listen on 437.270 MHz for the signal of the NanoSail-D satellite released on January 19 and send reports to the NanoSail-D dashboard. The full story, “NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators’ Aid to Listen for Nanosatellite’s Beacon Signal” may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-01-20#toc04 9. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS On January 21, the Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1745 posted an item, “ARISSat-1 Update” under its heading Ham Radio in Space. See: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.txt *********************** January 17, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace Nr I im. Stanislawa Staszica in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, Poland has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, January 18 at 12:03 UTC. The school is setting up an astronomy and amateur radio club for the students and there are plans for a series of lectures on astronautical engineering and astronomy. Two Italian schools, Corrado Melone and Ilaria Alpi, located in Ladispoli, Italy have been scheduled for a joint Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, January 18 at 13:37 UTC. At Ilaria Alpi, students have learned about space, space exploration, the ISS, astronauts’ preparation for space flight and radio and telecommunications. Corrado Melone has integrated the contact into lesson plans covering science, Information Technology and geography in order to stimulate the youth’s interest in science and space research. 2. Japanese Contact Successful Tsutsujigaoka Minami Elementary School in Akishima, Tokyo, Japan participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with on-orbit astronaut Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH on Wednesday, January 12. An audience of approximately 250 students and parents watched as the youth posed 14 questions to the astronaut. Three magazines and a newspaper covered the event. 3. ARISS Contact with Italian Students On Wednesday, January 12, two Italian schools, Istituto Comprensivo Marco Polo-Viani and Istituto delle Suore Mantellate di Viareggio located in Viareggio, Lucca, Italy experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Nearly 150 people were present for the event and listened as Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA spoke with the children, answering 15 of their questions. The contact highlighted a science, technology and space curriculum. 4. Nespoli Speaks with Italian Youth via ARISS On Saturday, January 15, students attending the Istituto Comprensivo Via Toscana 2 in Civitavecchia, Italy took part in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZŘJPA. Nespoli answered 12 questions during the first ISS pass. On the following pass, he completed the students’ questions and exchanged greetings with Italian Space Agency President Enrico Saggese. Nespoli also talked about the importance of school contacts as well as the 10th anniversary of ARISS contacts in both Italian and English. The event was attended by three hundred people and was covered by national television and other media. 5. Russian Article on ARISSat Energia posted a story on its Web site about ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-V. The story, with photos, may be viewed at: http://www.energia.ru/en/news/news-2010/news_12-31.html 6. AMSAT Posts Update on ARISSat-1 On January 16, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-016) included a status report on ARISSat-1. “ARISSat-1 Update” may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/48hour/msg83313.html *********************** January 10, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Tsutsujigaoka Minami Elementary School in Akishima, Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday, January 12 at 08:08 UTC. Students participating in the contact are learning about space science and the global cooperation required to operate the ISS. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Istituto Comprensivo Marco Polo-Viani Scuola Secondaria 1° Grado, Viareggio, Lucca, Italy on Wednesday, January 12 at 10:54 UTC. Through this contact, the school hopes to increase students’ interest in science, technology, space research and other space-related subject matter. Istituto Comprensivo Via Toscana 2 in Civitavecchia, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, January 15 at 09:02 UTC. The school, with an enrollment of 750 children, ages 3-14, has prepared questions about life in space and the research performed on the ISS. 2. Italian Students Chat with Astronaut through ARISS Contact On Saturday, January 8, University of Bari “Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza” in Bari, Italy participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA. Prior to the contact, ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF introduced the event via phone line. Nespoli made the radio link with the students, answering 14 of their questions. A second contact was established on the following ISS pass to finish up the questions and exchange greetings. Approximately 100 students, teachers, visitors and media attended. Regional television, local media and newspapers covered the event and video was streamed over the internet, receiving more than 100 connections. Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza promotes technology and scientific knowledge in schools of all grades using projects that encourage academic research. 3. Astronaut Training Status Astronaut Chris Cassidy was given an introductory session on ARISS this past week. He will train for his amateur radio license and plans to participate in the ARISS program. He is currently scheduled to fly in the spring of 2013. 4. ARRISat Featured in February QST The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted a story in its January 6 ARRL Letter about the February issue of QST which features ARISSat-1 on its front cover. The ARRL monthly journal has a circulation of 156,000. See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2011-01-06 5. AMSAT Posts ARISSat-1 Update to Web Site The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) posted an update on its Web page covering the current status of ARISSat-1. “ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Integration and Testing Underway in Moscow,” may be viewed here: http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php 6. AMSAT Articles on ARISS News On January 9, the AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-009) included two ARISS-related news items. “ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V Update” and “ARISS School Contacts Resume for 2011” may be found at: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/amsat-bb/48hour/msg83129.html *********************** January 3, 2011 1. Upcoming School Contact Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza in Bari, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, January 8 at 12:21 UTC. Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza promotes technology and scientific knowledge in schools of all grades using projects that encourage academic research. 2. Astronaut Training Status Astronauts Michael Fossum, KF5AQG and Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW are scheduled for ARISS prebrief sessions this month. Both are scheduled to fly with Expedition 28 in June 2011.