ARISS Status Report

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Scuola Media Statale Donato Forlani in Conversano, Bari, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Tuesday, October 7 at 11:29 UTC. Students have been introduced to amateur radio and have covered the importance of space missions. Media coverage is expected to include newspapers, radio and television.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Buchanan High School in Clovis, California on Saturday, October 11 at 16:10 UTC. Telebridge station NN1SS in Greenbelt, Maryland will assist with the contact. This event has been requested to coincide with the school’s “Columbia Mission,” a student-organized mock shuttle mission.

Challenger Learning Centers in Lanham, Maryland, Columbia, South Carolina, Tampa, Florida and Brownsburg, Indiana have been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 16 at 16:39 UTC. The contact will be made possible through telebridge station W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, California.

Budbrooke Primary School in Warwick, Warwickshire, England has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 17 at 11:05 UTC. Students have been learning about space exploration and how it has changed in the last 40 years. Spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, intends to take part in this contact.

Challenger Learning Centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Paducah, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri have been slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 17 at 15:30 UTC. Telebridge station W6SRJ will assist with the contact.

The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) High School in Austin, Texas has been scheduled for a direct Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, October 19 at 13:14 UTC. The school is an advanced academic magnet school in the Austin Independent School District and hosts gifted and talented students from all over the District. Ninth through twelfth graders are enrolled in the “SciTech” course in which they develop skills in mechanical engineering and computer processing, and “Planet Earth” which focuses on the dynamic relationship between the planet and its life, tracing it through the Earth’s geologic history. They are also taking “Anatomy and Physiology” and “Medical Microbiology.” Space and space travel has been incorporated into these courses. An elective course in Amateur Radio is offered as part of the curriculum and covers radio waves and frequencies, antenna systems and designs, and satellite tracking and communications. Spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, expects to take part in this contact.

An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Pinehurst School in Ashland, Oregon on Monday, October 20 at 15:13 UTC via the telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Pinehurst is a small rural school with grades K-8. Students have been learning about the International Space Station and the history and technology of space travel. They have also been engaged in amateur radio projects. Guest speakers have been scheduled to give presentations on space related subjects. Newspaper, television and radio coverage is anticipated.

The National Planetarium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, on Tuesday, October 21 at 08:30 UTC. The contact was requested for “The National Space Challenge, Prime Minister’s Trophy 2008,” which will be held on October 21-25, 2008. The National Space Challenge is a program that was created in an effort to instill talents and desire in students, especially those at the primary school levels, towards the understanding of space. A total of 32 schools are involved in this challenge, and each school will send two student participants. Students have been building solar system models. They have participated in quizzes and treasure hunts that involve space related objects. They have also participated in public speaking, giving presentations about various space topics. At night, telescope workshops and observation sessions have allowed students to observe and learn more about space objects. Media coverage is planned.

2. Astronaut Training Status

On Thursday, September 25, JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, participated in a simulated contact during an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training session. Noguchi is an Expedition 20 crewmember and will fly in November 2009.

3. ARISS Presentations at 2008 AMSAT-NA Symposium

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) will hold its Annual Meeting and Space Symposium on October 24-26 in Atlanta, Georgia. ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) Hardware Manager Lou McFadin, W5DID, will give a presentation on the SuitSat-2 status and ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, will give an update on the ARISS program.





 

Archived ARISS Status Reports Jan. 2008 - present

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2007

Archived ARISS Status Reports 2006