ARISS International Teleconference
Tuesday December 20, 2005 12:30 UTC (7:30 am ET)
Participants:
Frank Bauer
Rosalie White
Larry Agabekov
Sergey Samburov
Masanobu Tsuji
Mark Steiner
Daniel Lamoureux
Ken Pulfer
Ken Nichols
Gaston Bertels
Lou McFadin
Keith Pugh
Tadeu Fernandes
Carol Jackson
Carlos Eavis
Graham Shirville
Miles Mann
Kenneth Ransom
Interpreter, Mikhail Malyshau
Not present:
Dave Larsen
Jim Heck
Robin Haighton
Keigo Komuro
Erika Vick
Scott Stevens
Bill Boston
Bob Bruninga
Jon Neubauer
ARISS I Agenda:
Administrative Session
1. Columbus Status, Presenter: G. Bertels
L/S Band antenna fabrication is in final stages with installation due in January 2006. The proposal to install two EVA connectors on the end of cables attached to the two additional feed-throughs, to be used for UHF antennas, has been dropped due to difficulties in implementation in such a short time period. EADS is planning to use NATC connectors to terminate the internal cable from the feedthroughs to the equipment location, but Frank said that ARISS would prefer to have N connectors so there is commonality across all ham equipment onboard. Sergey backed that idea. Gaston asked for support in obtaining flight-certified N connectors, and he will check with the technical folks in Bremen to verify that U.S. and Russian certified connectors are acceptable for use on Columbus. Lou and Frank promised to support the provision of these connectors as best they can.
Regarding the amateur radio equipment to be flown, the European team is meeting to finalize the configuration. Right now they are planning on a transponder (L-band up/S-band down) with an Amateur TV (ATV) modulator for internal audio and video. However, the acronym “ATV” is used for the Autonomous Transfer Vehicle, so the TV system will be called the AVS – Amateur Video System. AVS will probably be able to support analog ATV, digital ATV, and SSTV.
Pictures as well as technical and other information on the ARISS-Europe working group are available at www.ariss-eu.org, under the Columbus link.
2. Status of printer of QSL cards, Presenter: G. Bertels
The prototype card has been approved and the printing run has begun. Christophe Candebat, F1MOJ, ARISS-Europe QSL manager, will distribute them after they arrive, hopefully in the next few days.
3. AMSAT Symposium/ARISS-I Meeting 2006, Presenter: F. Bauer
Plan is to meet in Oct. 2006 in San Francisco with the AMSAT-NA Symposium, much like the meeting in Arlington, Virginia in Oct. 2004. ARISS will meet Oct. 9 – 10, with half-day on 11th if necessary. Check at the AMSAT-NA website for more information as it becomes available.
4. U.S. School Applications window, Feb 2006, Presenter: R. White
The plan to utilize a timed-window of opportunity to obtain applications from US schools and select schools for each year was approved by NASA-HQ. The window will be open from the time the announcement is made in February 2006 until some time in April. A second window will open near the end of 2006. More info will be forthcoming in QST.
5. Russian Special Event, December 25, Presenter: S. Samburov
An amateur radio activity will be conducted in concert with a program to award Star Patrol diplomas for participation in ISS activities and associated ground station activities. This year the Russians had planned on three events – Cosmonautics Day in April, a time in July in recognition of 30th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz test flight, and now in memory of Gennady Strekalov. Special time for the crew to operate has been set aside for Dec. 25 and 26 around 1800 UTC. After this event on Dec. 26 the Kenwood D-700 will be set to operate in repeater mode to allow additional operations to qualify for this diploma award. 20 m and 40 m will probably be used for ground-to-ground contacts to qualify, and many cosmonauts are planning to go to Energia to operate. Sergey will let ARISS-I members know the exact times via email as the details are firmed up. Sergey would like to operate repeater mode through Thursday, Dec. 29. Kenneth Ransom would like to coordinate a short break to allow the PCSat2/MISSE 5 controllers to do some housekeeping, probably on Tuesday. Sergey asked for a formal letter from the US informing them of the interference problem with the PCSat2/MISSE 5 payload. Sergey is concerned about the lack of frequency coordination between amateur radio payloads, and Frank noted that we need to continue to have dialog with Bob Bruninga, who was not able to make it to today’s telecon.
Alexander Davydov will be handling the QSL’s for this event.
6. New Business (administrative only) – None
General Session
7. Marcos Pontes, Presenter: K. Ransom
The Brazilian Space Agency is pursuing a license for Marcos Pontes, and there are plans for him to do school contacts during his flight. Sergey is willing to have Russia help in obtaining a license valid for operation from ISS. Time for training is short and schedules shift constantly, so everyone will have to work together to get Marcos properly licensed and trained. Close coordination will also be required for scheduling of the school contacts themselves, both on the flight side and with the schools. Tadeu will send an email to Frank that suggests when he will be available for a teleconference about QSO plans for Marcos Pontes.
8. SuitSat & SSTV Status, Presenter: S. Samburov
The Russian Team has written the flight documentation for SuitSat, and Frank is reviewing it in order to give his input.
According to Sergey, the deployment of the SSTV equipment is scheduled for January, and everything is progressing.
Russian Operating Event: S. Samburov
Sergey asked that we distribute the news about frequencies and times for the Russian operating events on the 25th and 26th of December. The operating event, which has been approved by the Union of Russian Ham Radio Operators, was given the name “Space Patrol” and activity will be both space-based and ground-based.
On both December 25 and 26, the expectation is that ground-based ham radio operations will begin at 1200 UTC, and activity will continue as long as hams are participating. The HF frequencies that hams should monitor on both days are 7.080 mHz (transmit Russia 7.08/7.09 and receive 7.290), 14.180 mHz or 14.290 and 21.280 mHz or 21.390.
For the 25th, hams and cosmonauts will operate HF radios. They will use the call sign R3K at the Korolev-based station near Moscow in the Rocket and Space Corporation, Energia, and RK3DZB at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center ham shack in Star City near Moscow, RK3DZB. Some of the cosmonauts who plan to be at the microphone are Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR; Yuri Usachev, RW3FU; and Alexander Kaleri, U8MIR.
They will likely operate the HF frequencies again on the 26th, however, only from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, with the RK3DZB call sign.
Moscow scheduled special pass times for International Space Station Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev, operating RS0ISS, to take part from space. While the ISS passes over western and eastern Europe, he will use 145.99 mHz simplex, with 145.55 mHz simplex as a back-up. The special pass days and times are December 25 at 2056 UTC, and December 26 at 1947 UTC. Western Europeans should listen 10 minutes prior.
The special Russian on-the-air activity commemorates the first anniversary since the death of Cosmonaut Gennady Strekalov, U6MIR. Hams who take part in Space Patrol can send for a diploma along with a commemorative QSL card; details for this will be forthcoming.
9. Sergey’s availability during January, Presenter: S. Samburov
With the holidays, Sergey will not be available on 3 January. But 10 January is his first day back at work after the holidays, and he will take part in our telecon.
10. New business
The next ARISS-I telecon will be 24 Jan.
Miles asked when there will be a laptop in space. Sergey said the issue is being worked, but the plan is to work for delivery on a Progress (not the next one), but the following one. The older one currently on board can be used, although the battery isn’t in perfect shape. Sergey will send information on that laptop. The best greetings for the holidays were wished to everyone on the teleconference call and to all of the ARISS Team and volunteers.
Respectfully submitted,
Mark Steiner, K3MS for the ARISS Team