Amateur
   Radio  on the
         International
         Space
             Station


revised 2012-02-01 

 

 

 

 

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a volunteer program which inspires students, worldwide, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math through amateur radio communications opportunities with the International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit crew. Students learn about life on board the ISS and explore Earth from space through science and math activities. ARISS provides opportunities for the school community (students, teachers, families and local residents) to become more aware of the substantial benefits of human spaceflight and the exploration and discovery that occur on spaceflight journeys along with learning about technology and amateur radio.

ARISS is an international working group, consisting of delegations from 9 countries including several countries in Europe as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, and the USA. The organization is run by volunteers from the national amateur radio organizations and the international AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) organizations from each country. Since ARISS is international in scope, the team coordinates locally with their respective space agency (e.g. ESA, NASA, JAXA, CSA, and the Russian Space Agency) and as an international team through ARISS working group meetings, teleconferences and through electronic mail.

 

This present website (http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm) is the official website of the ARISS organization.
Some other websites related to ARISS are:

 

http://www.ariss-eu.org        

English (Europe)

http://ariss.fr.free.fr/               

French

http://www.jarl.or.jp/ariss/           

Japanese

http://rs0iss.ru/                      

Russian

http://www.qsl.net/py1kcf/

Portuguese (Brazil)

http://www.amrad.pt/ariss.php  

Portuguese (Portugal)

http://ariss.pzk.org.pl

Polish
      http://www.amsat.it/arisssc1.html

Italian

TBD

Ukrainian

 

What is amateur radio?

Amateur radio is a form of communication, a hobby and a community service. An amateur radio operator could be a school teacher in Nova Scotia trading teaching methods over the radio with another radio amateur who is also a teacher, in New Zealand. An amateur radio operator could be a British teenager using her computer to upload a chess move through her radio which is retrieved by a fellow chess fan in Australia via an amateur radio space satellite. An amateur radio operator could be a Swedish truck driver speaking via amateur radio to a Russian scientist at the South Pole. Radio amateurs also save lives as part of an emergency communications network. Amateur radio is a unique, fascinating and friendly hobby that captivates the interest of millions of people around the world. It is fun for everyone!


ARISS Contact Options

ARISS school contacts can be performed in one of two ways:

        - a DIRECT radio link between an amateur radio station set up in your school and the amateur station onboard the ISS

        - a TELEBRIDGE, where a dedicated ARISS amateur radio ground station, located somewhere in the world, establishes the radio link with the ISS. Voice
         communications between your students and the astronauts are then patched over regular telephone lines.


One of the goals of this program is to involve students with amateur radio. A direct contact will give your students an opportunity to speak via amateur radio and learn how the radio system works. If your school has an amateur radio station that you plan to use for a direct contact, then the station must meet certain technical requirements that are outlined in section I of the ARISS Contact Requirements form. If you do not have a station, then you may be able to work with a local ham radio club to have them temporarily install and operate a portable station at your school. To learn more about amateur radio and to locate an amateur radio club near you, please contact your ARISS representative.

If you are unable to support a direct contact then a telebridge can also be a very rewarding experience for students and faculty. The ARISS team will help the school set up the telebridge contact and give your students an opportunity to speak via amateur radio and learn about amateur radio and a little on how wireless technology works.

For either direct or telebridge contacts, please work with your local amateur radio operators who can mentor your school in technology lessons and many related skills.

Educational materials are available from ISS partner space agencies. Refer to the links on the Frequently Asked Questions page and ask your ARISS school mentor for these materials.

 

Information and Forms for All Contacts

How to Convert Longitude and Latitude to Decimal Format
ARISS Contact Requirements
ARISS School Contact Checklist
24 hours ARISS School Contact Confirmation
Release Forms Requirement
Release Form

ARISS Educational Activities Report (Evaluation Form)

 

Contact Proposals (U.S. only)

Organizations within the United States and its territories that wish to host an ARISS contact should contact the NASA Teaching From Space (TFS) office.  Information about the requirements and schedule for submitting an ARISS contact  proposal can be found on the TFS Web site at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/ariss.html

 

Contact Applications (Outside the U.S.)

Organizations outside the United States can apply for an ARISS contact by following the links below for instructions on how to complete the application.

ARISS Application Form Instructions
ARISS Application Form

 

Send completed application forms to:


Europe, Africa, Middle-East: Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF school.selection.manager@amsat.it
Russia: Valeriy Agabekov, N2WW/UA6HZ n2ww@arrl.net
Japan (and all Southeast Asia and Pacific Oceania countries): Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB iaru-r3@jarl.or.jp
Canada (and all other countries): Maurice-André Vigneault, VE3VIG ve3vig@amsat.org


 

The information that you supply will be held in confidence. Past experience has shown that when ARISS planners need to contact the school, the more names and phone numbers, the better. This is why we are asking for complete contact information – even the principal’s home phone number. In the fast-paced world of radio contact opportunities, ISS scheduling changes may occur with only a few days' notice and the need to make contact with someone from the school becomes paramount.

You should expect that it will take between 1.5 and 2 years from the time your application is submitted until the contact occurs.


 

ARISS is very interested in arranging amateur radio contacts between astronauts and school children.

School contacts provide an excellent opportunity for young people to find out about amateur radio, and to develop an interest in communications technology.

If you are interested in setting up a school contact in your area, please click on the following links for answers to frequently asked questions and more information for your part of the world.

The latest  Information about ARISS and the International Space Station

The International Space Station is now under construction and is permanently manned by teams of astronauts, many of whom have amateur licenses. 

Amateurs from the ISS partner countries, in the USA, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada, have set up ARISS, a program to develop and put into operation the on-board amateur station. The initial station is now in operation,  and astronauts  are available for  QSO's in their spare time (they are usually very busy!). 

 

ARISS Status  January 30, 2012




1. Upcoming School Contact

Zespol Szkol nr 8, Walbrzych, Poland has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, February 4 at 12:40 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The school has a Walbrzych Robotics Club and operates an amateur radio club, SP6PBA. The club has been running for 60 years and its operators have established communications with several radio amateurs from all continents. The contact will be integrated into the curriculum covering electronics, microprocessor systems and English and will be held as part of the XXIII Lower Silesian Science Festival.

2. Successful ARISS Contact with El Dorado County Students

On Tuesday, January 24, on-orbit astronaut Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX participated in an ARISS contact with students from El Dorado County in Placerville, California. The students, who came from several schools within the county, were able to get answers to many of their questions about space. Approximately 250 people were in attendance and another 160 watched as the contact was streamed over the internet. The radio connection was provided by telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The station, located on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), hosted another 15 observers. In addition, the college sent a reporter and photographer from its newspaper, The Oak Leaf, to cover the event. The ARISS contact was part of a comprehensive education plan used to pique students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). More on the event, including video and photos may be found on the El Dorado County Web site. See: http://general.edcoe.org/nasaqa/default.html

3. AMSAT News Service on ARISS

The January 29 AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) News Service bulletin (ANS-029) included an item about ARISSat-1 and its greetings and voice messages, as well as their English translations. To hear the messages, go to “ARISSat-1/KEDR Legacy Lives on in the DK3WN SatBlog” at: http://amsat.org/pipermail/ans/2012/000587.html .





 

 


Archived ARISS Status Reports, January 2012 - Present
Archived ARISS Status Reports 2011

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2010

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2009

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2008

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2007

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2006

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2005
Archived ARISS Status reports  Sept. 2003 - Dec. 2004

Latest News

 

UHF station in Columbus module on ISS

November 17, 2011
 

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).

 

 

Kenneth Ransom - N5VHO

 
 
ANS-104 ANS Special Bulletin - ARISSat-1 Not Heard During Gagarin Commemoration
 
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-104.01
ARISSat-1 Not Heard During Gagarin Commemoration
 
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 104.01
>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
April 14, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-104.01
 
The planned operation of ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-V/KEDR on April 11 and April 12 from inside the International Space Station as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight 
was not successful. No earth stations on the ground reported hearing transmissions on the ARISSat-1 downli
ot successful as no reports were received of signals heard on 437.550 MHz.   However, 
a similar ARISSat-1 transmission test conducted in February was successful, with 145.950 MHz signals being successfully received by several ground stations. 
 
At this point it isn't clear to the ARISSat-1 team what went wrong with the most recent test.  Unfortunately, little information has been shared by RSC-Energia concerning plans made to configure the 
satellite and the interface used to connect the satellite to one of the external ARISS antennas. The status of the satellite's Russian-provide
nk (145.950 MHz for FM analog/145.920 MHz for digital). The planned retransmission of the 
satellite's FM downlink via the Kenwood TM-D700 transceiver --currently used for ARISS contacts--was also nd silver zinc battery is also unknown.
 
ARISSat-1 is a cooperative effort of AMSAT, RSC-Energia and NASA.  AMSAT designed and built the spacecraft as a prototype of a proposed series of educational satellites which can carry student-built 
experiments.  The ARISSat-1 prototype features a student experiment designed and built by Kursk State Technical University in Russia.  A backup was also provided (without solar panels). AMSAT 
delivered the two units to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX in early October.  NASA has led the integration of ARISSat-1 into the ISS flight program.  NASA coordinated the logistics of 
transporting the satellite and a backup unit, including export licensing, from Houston to Moscow.  The shipment occurred in early December immediately following RSC-Energia confirmation that the 
appropriate import documentation had been approved.  NASA also conducted the three-phase Payload Safety Review that ARISSat-1 had to pass in order to be permitted to be shipped to the ISS and 
deployed from the Space Station.  Per protocol agreements signed by AMSAT, NASA and RSC-Energia, RSC-Energia assumed full responsibility for ARISSat-1 after NASA shipped the prime and backup units.  
RSC-Energia's stipulated responsibilities included integration of the Kursk experiment, providing a silver zinc battery for the spacecraft, shipment of the primary flight unit to the ISS via a Progress Cargo 
vehicle (which took place in January 2011) and subsequent deployment during a planned Russian EVA in February 2011.  
 
Once AMSAT shipped ARISSat-1 and the backup unit in early October, AMSAT was no longer directly involved with management and operation of the satellite.  AMSAT agreed to send a representative to 
Moscow (Lou McFadin, W5DID) in order to assist with testing and final checkout of the satellite once it arrived from the US.  Lou was accompanied by NASA's Mark Steiner, K3MS and the requests for visas 
and access the RSC-Energia facilities was coordinated by NASA.  Due to visa limitations (Russia does not allow changes to visas once individuals are in Russia), the window for Lou's and Mark's time in 
Moscow could not be changed once it became apparent that the shipment was being held by Russian customs and wouldn't be released until after the expiration of visas.  During the time that Lou and Mark 
were in Moscow, testing procedures were drafted and agreed to by RSC-Energia's principal investigator for ARISSat-1 (Sergey Samburov, RV3DR) as a signed protocol to assist the Russian engineers with 
testing and checkout without the presence of AMSAT.  Lou and Mark departed Moscow on 22 DEC 10 for the US and the satellite with the backup unit were subsequently released from Russian customs and 
delivered to RSC-Energia on 28 DEC 10 following submission of appropriate documentation by RSC-Energia. 
 
In addition to the missed opportunity for AMSAT and NASA to participate in the checkout in Moscow, the delayed release from Russian Customs also meant that the satellite arrived in RSC-Energia just 
as they were commencing a 10-day total holiday shutdown from 1-10 JAN 11.  In order to make launch of the Progress 41P cargo vehicle to the ISS in January, the satellite had to be flown to the Baikonour 
Cosmodrome on 11 JAN 11, the day after RSC-Energia personnel returned from their holiday.  Sergey Samburov, RV3DR spent a period of time during the holiday period conducting a checkout of the satellite, 
but it is still unclear whether the documentation provided by Lou McFadin and Mark Steiner and agreed to as a protocol was followed.  For example, AMSAT and NASA have yet to receive any of the full set of 
closeout photographs of the satellite's exterior stipulated in the protocol.  
 
The satellite did make the flight to Baikonour and was subsequently flown to the ISS on 28 JAN 11 on Progress cargo vehicle 41P.  Once the satellite arrived at the Space Station, there was another 
unexpected alteration to the original plan which has been previously agreed to by AMSAT, NASA, and RSC-Energia.  Russian officials now wanted confirmation that the satellite was in working order prior 
to EVA deployment. Why this decision was made was never fully explained to AMSAT or NASA. Even though the satellite was never intended to be operated from inside the ISS, the RSC-Energia team made 
plans to operate ARISSat-1 from inside the ISS during the period 10-13 FEB 11, connecting the two-meter transmitter to one of the external antenna used for ARISS contacts with the intent of getting 
confirmation from ground stations that the satellite's transmissions could be received by amateur radio stations on the ground.  This unexpected development raised AMSAT and NASA concerns given the 
potential for damage to the spacecraft inside the ISS and the possibility of misinterpretation of results.  Despite these concerns, the test was successfully conducted on 10 FEB 11 for 20 hours with the 
Kenwood TM-D700 on the ISS used to verify normal transmission from the satellite. Ground stations, including Tony Monteiro AA2TX, did provide reception reports confirming successful operation of the 
satellite.
 
ARISSat-1 was scheduled to be deployed during Russian EVA-28, scheduled for 16 FEB 11, as one of the planned tasks on that EVA.  However, AMSAT and NASA were informed on 11 FEB that RSC-Energia 
officials decided to remove the satellite deployment from the Russian EVA-28 schedule of activities due to complications with another task scheduled for that EVA.  AMSAT and NASA were informed that 
the ARISSat-1 deployment would be rescheduled and included as a task in the next Russian EVA, currently scheduled for July 2011. Around the same time, the RSC-Energia Principle Investigator mentioned 
the possibility of a "special event involving ARISSat-1" around the date of the 50th anniversary of the Gagarin flight commemoration on 12 APR 11.  AMSAT and NASA inferred that, by retaining the satellite 
onboard the ISS until the next Russian EVA in July, RSC-Energia could ensure that the satellite could be activated within the ISS specifically for the Gagarin Commemoration.  
 
During the period from the testing on 10 FEB 11 to the planned time of activation on 11 APR 11, the satellite was placed in storage on the ISS.  AMSAT and NASA were not informed of the configuration the 
satellite was in when it was stored, though it appears that the Lexan covers over the solar panels had been removed and replaced by 'soft covers' that were meant to be used only in preparation for 
deployment.  We were not informed if the satellite was deactivated following the test, or if the battery was disconnected to prevent drainage, or if the satellite may have been inadvertently left on. 
Given that operation of the satellite from within the ISS was never part of the original plan and these activities took place without AMSAT and NASA involvement, the ARISSat-1 engineering team is in the 
dark concerning the impact of storage on the satellite. As the originally agreed-to plan was to deploy the satellite within only a few weeks of arrival on the ISS, there were no provisions made in the satellite 
design to prepare the satellite for long-term storage on the ISS.
 
Adding to the lack of information was that the primary RSC-Energia Principle Investigator for ARISSat-1 went on vacation for the entire month of March and there wasn't a designated backup to coordinate 
with AMSAT and NASA.  Sergey, RV3DR returned from vacation on 1 APR 11, but was unavailable for the regularly scheduled weekly conference call that was scheduled to take place on 5 APR 11. This meant 
that AMSAT and NASA were not apprised of the details for planned operation of ARISSat-1 for the Gagarin Commemoration until late in the first week in April.  AMSAT sent out a press release to the media on 
Friday, 8 APR 11, as well as a special ANS Bulletin containing the information that had been provided to AMSAT through information gathered by our counterparts at NASA who have access to a schedule of 
the planned daily activities of the ISS crew.
 
The documentation for the configuration and operation on 11-12 APR was developed by RSC-Energia without AMSAT or NASA input. AMSAT and NASA were provided a draft plan only a couple of days prior 
to operation; that document was in Russian and we could not comment on it prior to planned activation.  One new development was the last-minute decision by RSC-Energia to retransmit the ARISSat-1 
two-meter FM downlink on 70 CM by configuring the Kenwood TM-700 that is currently used for ARISS contacts in cross-band repeat mode.  The ARISS team was asked for a recommendation on which frequency 
would be appropriate to use, and the suggestion was made to use 437.550 MHz.  However, procedures for configuration of the TM-D700 were not shared with AMSAT or NASA.  There remains the distinct 
possibility that the unsuccessful result of this test was due to a misconfiguration of ARISSat-1, its interface to the ARISS external antenna, or the TM-D700.  
 
An additional consideration is that the Cosmonauts who were available for the Gagarin Commemoration were not necessarily the same individuals involved with the 'test' in early February due to a planned 
crew rotation that took place in early April, where three individuals (two Russian, one American) were flown to the ISS to supplement three individuals who were still onboard. 
 
Neither AMSAT nor NASA received any status reports directly from RSC-Energia during the timeframe of the planned operation. We also don't know what the Cosmonauts found when they operated the three 
activation switches on the control panel, such as whether the LEDS were lit or not.  The status of the flight battery is currently unknown to AMSAT and NASA. Hopefully, RSC-Energia will provide an update 
on the status of the satellite to AMSAT and NASA and a determination can be made of the health of the satellite.
 
As noted above, ARISSat-1 is made possible through the cooperation of RSC-Energia, NASA and AMSAT.  However, the degree of information received from RSC-Energia has been very sporadic, given that 
ARISSat-1 is technically a Russian satellite (callsign RS01S), and, per the signed protocol agreements, RSC-Energia has assumed full responsibility for all activities associated with ARISSat -1 from pre-launch 
preparation in Moscow through EVA deployment from ISS.  Indeed, RSC-Energia has never publicly acknowledged that AMSAT was the organization that built the satellite nor the significant NASA involvement 
in the project. Clearly, what our expectations are concerning 'transparency' of information does not coincide to what RSC-Energia has been willing to share to date.
 
We will continue our efforts to gain insight from RSC-Energia concerning what transpired regarding their planned Gagarin Commemoration event.  We're anxious to know the status of the satellite as well 
as prospects for deployment in July.  We are dependent upon the willingness of RSC-Energia to keep AMSAT and NASA informed.  As we are apprised of developments, we will share that information.  
 
 
ANS Special Bulletin ARISSat-1 Activation Aboard ISS Begins April 11
April 8, 2011
To All RADIO AMATEURS 
BID: $ANS-098.01

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND (AMSAT News Service) While awaiting deployment from the International Space Station (ISS) in late July, an amateur radio satellite specifically designed to interest students in 
scientific and technological careers will be activated and begin transmissions from the ISS in mid-April of this year. 

Transmissions are scheduled to begin Monday around 14:30 UTC April 11 and ending Wednesday around 10:30 UTC on April 13. Electronic certificates of the event will be available to those submitting reception 
reports to: Gagarin@arissat1.org.

These transmissions will commemorate 50 years since the flight of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin as the first human to enter outer space. The satellite (called ARISSat-1, RadioSkaf-V) will send telemetry, 
SSTV images, and messages of goodwill as it orbits earth inside the ISS. 

ARISSat-1 is a cooperative effort between AMSAT, ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station,) RSC-Energia (The Russian Space Agency) and NASA. The design, development and construction of 
the satellite was done by AMSAT volunteers. Original plans called for the satellite to be housed inside an old Russian spacesuit. But when the suit became unavailable, a spaceframe was developed to house 
the radio equipment and solar panels. The new satellite was named ARISSat-1. Other names for the spacecraft are RadioSkaf-V and Kedr. The transmitted callsign will be RS01S.

In order to operate inside the ISS, ARISSat-1 will be connected to an external amateur radio antenna already mounted on the outer surface of the space station. The craft will use its own battery for operation, 
therefore it will be in low power mode. As a result, listeners can expect 40-60 second "ON" periods followed by two-minute "OFF" periods to save battery power. 

To listen for ARISSat-1 voice signals during this special event, FM receivers should be tuned to 145.950 MHz.  Specific only to this event, planning is currently underway to provide an additional FM broadcast 
downlink at 437.550 MHz. Even though the satellite will only have an output of 250 mW on 2 meters, a standard FM handy talkie equipped with a quarter-wave whip antenna should be able to receive the voice 
ID, voice telemetry and greeting messages as the craft passes overhead. SSTV transmissions may also be demodulated and viewed using a free downloadable program such as MMSSTV that is available at:  
http://mmhamsoft.amateur-radio.ca/pages/mmsstv.php. 
For Mac users, Multiscan2 is available at: http://web.me.com/kd6cji/MacSSTV/MultiScan.html.

Those planning to monitor voice broadcasts from ARISSat-1 are requested to make note of the telemetry battery voltage values and UTC time, and then submit their records to Gagarin@arissat1.org. 
Digital telemetry will be sent at 145.920 MHz. Given the low duty cycle of the spacecraft, those planning to receive the digital telemetry are encouraged to record the entire signal band using the FunCube 
dongle or SDR-IQ receivers.

Software for demodulating the BPSK-1000 telemetry is available at: http://www.arissattlm.org/download/ARISSatTLM_050_Setup.exe
A software user guide will be available soon.

This special period of operation is only expected to continue during the two-day 50 year commemoration of Gagarin's famous mission.   

The actual deployment of ARISSat-1, first announced for February 2011, is now expected to take place during an EVA scheduled for late July, 2011. After it is deployed from the International Space Station, 
ARISSat-1 is expected to be in orbit for a period of up to six months.

More information on the transmission schedule and overall mission of ARISSat-1 can be found at:

ARISSat-1 Web site:     http://www.arissat1.org 

AMSAT Web site:         http://www.amsat.org 

ARISS  Web site:              http://www.ariss.org 

ARISS Facebook Page:    Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS)
ARISS Twitter site:     @ARISS_status

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) is a non-profit, volunteer organization which designs, builds and operates experimental amateur radio satellites and promotes space education. 
We work in partnership with government, industry, educational institutions and fellow amateur radio societies. We encourage technical and scientific innovation, and promote the training and 
development of skilled satellite and ground system designers and operators. Our vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide area and continuous coverage for amateur radio 
operators worldwide. AMSAT is also an active participant in human space missions and supports satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a volunteer program which inspires students, worldwide, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math through amateur radio 
communications opportunities with the International Space Station on-orbit crew. Students learn about life on board the ISS and explore Earth from space through science and math activities. ARISS provides 
opportunities for the school community (students, teachers, families and local residents) to become more aware of the substantial benefits of human space flight and the exploration and discovery that occur
on space flight journeys along with learning about technology and amateur radio.

[ANS thanks the ARISSat-1 Team for the above information]

ARISS Celebrates Tenth Anniversary of Student Conversations with ISS Astronauts

December 5, 2010


On 21 December 2000, astronaut William Shepherd turned from his usual activities aboard the newly occupied International Space Station (ISS). Floating over to a “ham” radio attached to a station bulkhead, he called the Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois and was soon talking with 14 enthusiastic students from grades 1- 8. This month, amateur radio operators world-wide celebrate the tenth anniversary of this first school contact from ISS.

Since that first contact, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) volunteers have conducted 565 successful contacts in 40 countries, allowing thousands of students to share the excitement of those first 14. Moreover, tens of thousands of students, faculty, and parents have participated by planning and attending these events.

ARISS contacts have prompted countless students to seriously consider pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers, including becoming an astronaut. Educational programs and amateur radio clubs established at participating schools continue to inspire students long after the contact has ended.

The use of amateur radio in space began in 1983 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) flew on 28 shuttle missions, proving the educational and crew morale benefits of ham radio. Ham radio also proved popular with the cosmonauts aboard space station Mir. The value of amateur radio in space was so apparent to NASA and the Russian Space Agency that the ARISS radio became the first experiment to be activated on ISS.

ARISS is a volunteer program that inspires students the world over to pursue STEM careers by providing amateur radio communications opportunities with the International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit crew. Students learn about life on board the ISS and explore Earth from space through science and math activities. ARISS provides opportunities for the school community (students, teachers, families, and local residents) to become more aware of the substantial benefits of human spaceflight and the exploration and discovery that occur on spaceflight journeys while learning about technology and amateur radio.

ARISS is an international working group comprising delegations from 9 countries, including several countries in Europe as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, and the USA. The organization is run by volunteers from national amateur radio organizations and international AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) organizations in each member country. ARISS team members in each country work with their respective space agencies (ESA, NASA, JAXA, CSA, and the Russian Space Agency). In the USA, ARISS works with the NASA Teaching From Space program.

 

SuitSat-2 Now Called ARISSat-1

August 23, 2009

The SuitSat-2 project now has a new name to go with its new shape, ARISSat-1. Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, the ARISS Chairman announced the new name for the satellite and project this week. The project team is moving ahead using the same hardware that was to fly in the Russian Orlan suit. The team is re-configuring some of the modules to fit into the new structure being designed by Bob Davis, KF4KSS and his team.

Due to storage considerations on the International Space Station, the two surplus Orlan space suits in storage on the International Space Station were discarded via the Progress Cargo Vessel. One of these suits was to be used to house the electronics for the upcoming SuitSat-2 mission where the batteries were to be mounted inside the suit, solar panels attached to the extremities with the electronics, video cameras and antenna mounted on the helmet by the ISS crew prior to deployment during an EVA. The Progress vehicle, with the suits included, has undocked from ISS.

The ARISS International Team has been informed that there is still space available for shipment of the SuitSat-2 electronics on the projected cargo flight to the Space Station in January 2010 and the EVA scheduled for April 2010 still has a 'SuitSat-2' deployment scheduled.

The experiment being developed by Russia's Kursk State University is expected to be integrated into the electronics once the US produced equipment is delivered to Russia this fall.

However, the significant importance of this project to both ARISS and AMSAT is not diminished. ARISS sees this mission as an important component of education outreach as it will provide an opportunity for students around the world to listen for recorded greetings from space as well as learn about tracking spacecraft in orbit.

Meanwhile, the deployment of SDX (Software Defined Transponder), the associated receiver and transmitter modules, and control electronics is a critical milestone for AMSAT as this upcoming flight provides an opportunity to flight test the next generation of spacecraft hardware. Lessons learned from this deployment will be applied to future flight opportunities as AMSAT moves towards a 'modularization approach' to spacecraft development with the expectation the future spacecraft missions will utilize a derivative of SDX and the associated hardware.

-AMSAT,  http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php

 

SuitSat-2 Transforms Into a Satellite

July 8, 2009

 

Due to storage considerations on the International Space Station, the two surplus Orlan space suits in storage on the International Space Station were discarded via the Progress Cargo Vessel. One of these suits was to be used to house the electronics for the upcoming SuitSat-2 mission where the batteries were to be mounted inside the suit, solar panels attached to the extremities with the electronics, video cameras and antenna mounted on the helmet by the ISS crew prior to deployment during an EVA.

The Progress, with the suits included, was undocked from ISS this past week.

The ARISS International Team has been informed that there is still space available for shipment of the SuitSat-2 electronics on the projected cargo flight to the Space Station in January 2010 and the EVA scheduled for April 2010 still has a 'SuitSat-2' deployment scheduled. 

Consequently, the AMSAT team developing SuitSat-2 electronics on behalf of ARISS International is focusing on completing development in anticipation that deployment will still take place in Spring 2010 using a new structure to house it. In addition, the experiment being developed by Russia's Kursk State University is still expected to be integrated into the electronics once the US produced equipment is delivered to Russia this fall. Discussions are currently taking place between Russian ARISS members and the AMSAT project managers concerning the design of the new structure and where it will be constructed with these decisions to be made in the next few weeks.

The AMSAT team building the electronics is meeting July 10-12 in Phoenix to initiate integration testing of all of the components built in the US with subsequent testing to continue through the remainder of the summer in anticipation of shipping equipment to Russia in the fall.

The removal of the Orlan space suits from ISS removes the 'Suit' component of this deployment and at some point a new project name will be used to reflect the change in configuration.  However, the significant importance of this project to both ARISS and AMSAT is not diminished. 

ARISS sees this mission as an important component of education out-reach as it will provide an opportunity for students around the world to listen for recorded greetings from space as well as learn about tracking spacecraft in orbit. 

Meanwhile, the deployment of SDX (Software Defined Transponder), the associated receiver and transmitter modules, and control electronics is a critical milestone for AMSAT as this upcoming flight provides an opportunity to flight test the next generation of spacecraft hardware. Lessons learned from this deployment will be applied to future flight opportunities as AMSAT moves towards a 'modularization approach' to spacecraft development with the expectation the future spacecraft missions will utilize a derivative of SDX and the associated hardware.


AMSAT VP-Manned Spaceflight Will Marchant, KC6ROL

 

 

 

Previous ISS Expedition 29 Crew (Exp 29 began with the Soyuz TMA-21 undocking on September 15, 2011)

(Launch June 7, 2011, Landing - November 21, 2011)

Commander Michael Fossum, KF5AQG

Flight Engineer Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS

Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW

 

(Launch November 14, 2011, Landing - March 2012)

Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov

Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin

Flight Engineer Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX

Current ISS Expedition 30 Crew (Exp 30 began with the Soyuz TMA-02M undocking on November 21, 2011)

(Launch November 14, 2011, Landing - March 2012)

Commander Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX

Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov

Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin

 

(Launch December 21, 2011, Landing - May 2012)

Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX

Flight Engineer André Kuipers, PI9ISS

Flight Engineer Don Pettit, KD5MDT

Upcoming ISS Expedition 31 Crew (Exp 31 begins with the Soyuz TMA-22M undocking)

(Launch December 21, 2011, Landing - May 2012)

Commander Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX

Flight Engineer André Kuipers, PI9ISS

Flight Engineer Don Pettit, KD5MDT

 

(Launch March 30, 2012, Landing - September 2012)

Flight Engineer Gennady Padalka, RN3DX

Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, KE5DAR

Flight Engineer Sergei Revin

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Information about Russian amateurs in the space program

In Russia there are four classes of  radio amateurs. The highest is first class. Their call sign has 5 characters.
Sergey Samburov RV3DR
Sergei Treschev RZ3FU
Valeri Korzun RZ3FK
Fyodor Yurchikhin RN3FI
Yury Lonchakov RA3DT
Nikolai Budarin RV3FB
Alexsandr Kaleri U8MIR
Sergey N Revin RN3BS
Michail B Kornienko RN3BF
Oleg D. Kononenko RN3DX
Gennady I. Padalka RN3DT

For Second Class licences the call sign has 6 characters.
Yuri Malenchenko RK3DUP

The lowest class allows the operator to carry out conversations from a board the ISS in VHF/UHF only .

The following cosmonauts use the shared radio station RS0ISS which has a first class license (based on  the chief of the station (RV3DR)).

Sergey Zalyotin (op. RS0ISS)
Valery Tokarev (op.RS0ISS)
Salizhan S. Sharipov (op.RS0ISS)

The call sign of the PMS mailbox RS0ISS-1

Server space and maintenance of the official ARISS English language web pages are provided free of charge by 

Radio Amateurs of Canada

Send comments or questions to: C Jackson