ARISS International Teleconference

 Tuesday, February 19, 2008, 12:15 UTC (7:15 am ET)

Participants:

Frank Bauer

Rosalie White

Mark Steiner

Larry Agabekov

Keigo Komuro

Masanobu Tsuji

Gaston Bertels

Lou McFadin

Keith Pugh

Miles Mann

Carol Jackson

Daniel Lamoureux

Kenneth Ransom

Mark Severance

Not present:

Robin Haighton

Graham Shirville

 Ken Pulfer

Tadeu Fernandes

Sergey Samburov

ARISS I Agenda:

NOTE: The international ARISS team took the opportunity to congratulate the ARISS-Europe team and all others who helped prepare the antennas for flight on the Columbus module, successfully launched and installed on the ISS this past week. Gaston said it is only the beginning!

Administrative Session

1. ARISS-I Face to Face Meeting, Moscow, status, Presenter: F. Bauer

The tentative meeting schedule is as follows:

        • Delegates arrive in time for a delegates-only meeting on Wednesday afternoon

        • ARISS meetings – Thursday and Friday, with tours of TSuP (mission control center) and the Energia museum on Friday afternoon.

        • Saturday (leave in early morning) and Sunday (arrive back to Moscow in evening)– trip to Kaluga to visit Tsiolkovsky sites and the space museum

        • Monday – departure

Frank gave several tentative weeks for the meetings in an email:

        • 6/24 – (feedback during telecon: not good for US or European teams, was removed from consideration)

        • 7/8 – (feedback in email: not Sergey’s preference)

        • 7/15 – looks like most likely date; if Frank does not hear of any major problems within 48 hrs, that date will be finalized

Frank requests that international delegates and other parties let Carol Jackson know who will be attending.

2. SuitSat-1 Certificates - status, Presenter: F. Bauer

Around 95% of certificates have been sent out. A second wave of certificates will be out shortly, consisting of corrections and later submissions.

3. Telebridge Request - status, Presenter: F. Bauer

Previously an email was widely distributed requesting applications to be considered as additional telebridge stations. The next steps will include getting more information on the station capabilities as well as some sort of vetting process to ensure that we have stations and operators that will be able to meet their commitments so we have reliable network additions.

4. Amateur Radio Working Group (ARWG) - status, Presenter: M. Severance

Progress is being made, with a JAXA representative being named who is in the education office and is an active ham. Mark will be meeting in the next few days with the European and Canadian agencies.

5. New Business (administrative only)

Frank noted that there most likely will need to be elections of ARISS officers at the Moscow meeting, so delegates need to consider whom they would like to nominate for which positions. Frank asked that a nomination committee be formed by the delegates.

General Session

6. SuitSat-2 status, Presenter: L. McFadin

Solar panels have been delivered from NASA, with two panels soon to be undergoing testing by the SuitSat team. RF module meeting was held, still are some circuit design and packaging details to be ironed out. Progress continues to be made on the SDX, the software transponder, with anticipated long-term application across all AMSAT projects.

A “dry-run” is being pursued that would fly a prototype of the SuitSat-II system on a balloon project.

7. New business

None.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Steiner, K3MS, for the ARISS Team