ISS Fan Club

1. Upcoming School Contact
The Non Profit Organization Kodomo Support Project in Kyoto, Japan has been approved for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, March 26 at 10:40 UTC. The Project was established in 2006 to provide a network for parents and the community to support the social, mental and physical education of children. Participants will learn about wireless communication, space and science technology.

2. Lycee mixte René Gosse Contact Successful
On Monday, March 10, students at Lycee mixte René Gosse in Clermont L'Herault, France participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. The scheduled contact at 08:32 UTC did not take place due to Eyharts’ work responsibilities. A request to reschedule the contact for the next orbit was made and the ARISS team quickly responded, setting up a telebridge station between Clermont l'Herault and Kingston, Australia. This second attempt was successful. Nine students were able to ask one question each of the astronaut. Approximately 50 students, ten teachers and more than 75 amateur radio operators were present. Audio was fed into the EchoLink server. Three regional and local newspapers covered the event, as well as 3 television broadcast stations.

3. Astronaut Training Status
On Thursday, March 13, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training session was held with Nicole Stott, KE5GJN, and Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE. Both astronauts successfully participated in terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS-equivalent equipment with a Houston area school, Westbrook Intermediate.

An ARISS training session has been planned in late April for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk, VA3CSA, and European Space Agency astronaut Frank DeWinne, ON1DWN.

4. Spaceflight Participant Receives Training on Amateur Radio
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, will fly to the ISS in October 2008 as a spaceflight participant. He has received Russian training on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) radio equipment and has posted an update covering this to his blog on his “Richard in Space” Web site (February 26 entries). See: http://www.richardinspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.welcome

5. ARISS Presentation Posted
Patricia Palazzolo, KB3NMS, a teacher at Upper St. Clair School in Pennsylvania, gave a presentation at the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) Space Symposium held in Pittsburgh in October 2007. Her presentation, “Launching Dreams: The Long-term Impact of SAREX and ARISS on Student Achievement” covered her experiences with her students, the space program, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) program and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. She gives real life examples of the positive impact these experiences have had on her children. The presentation has been posted on the AMSAT Web site. See: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/Presentations/AMSAT Symposiums/2007 Symposium/Launching Dreams.pdf

Source ARISS Weekly Status