ISS Fan Club

Amateur Radio recently got some good publicity when Tony Hutchison VK5ZAI appeared in an interview on the Australian Channel 7 Today Tonight show.

The show was broadcast on the 11th April and provided some great insights as to how Tony and others over the years have provided support to Nasa and how amateur radio helps to promote public awareness of the NASA space program through school contacts with the astronauts aboard the ISS.

Read the full story and view or download the video from the WIA website at http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2008/20080504-2/index.php

Source: http://w

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, IZØJPA, gave two presentations to Italian schools which had participated in ARISS contacts in October 2007. On Wednesday, April 23, Nespoli spoke to 565 students from Galileo Galilei High School of Civitavecchia, Guglielmo Marconi High School of Civitavecchia and Giosuè Carducci Secondary School in Santa Marinella. On April 24, he spoke with 400 students from Aula Magna of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of L'Aquila. ARISS member Francesco De Paolis, IKØWGF, gave a talk on the ARISS program and Nespoli gave a presentation on the Esperia mission which also highlighted the ARISS contacts. Television stations and newspapers covered the events and photographs have been posted to the ARISS-Europe Web site. See: http://www.ariss-eu.org/2008_04_27.htm

1. ARISS Space Day Contact Successful
On Saturday, May 3, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C. participated in Space Day 2008, celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASA and NASA’s achievements through space exploration. Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) members manned an activity station during the event. A highlight of the event was an ARISS contact made possible through the assistance of telebridge station NN1SS in Greenbelt, Maryland. Thirty questions were put to Garrett Reisman, KE5HAE, live, by ten children as approximately 200 gathered in the gallery. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) Conference Room servers and received 25 connections. It was also fed into the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010, receiving 4 connections from Canada and the U.S. Additionally, the event was taped by the NASM staff. Space Day draws crowds of thousands annually.

An International Space Station Expedition 17 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC, USA on 03 May. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:10 UTC.

The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and NN1SS in Maryland. The contact should be audible over most of the Eastern USA. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English. Audio from the QSO is planned to be fed into the EchoLink *AMSAT* (101 377) and *JK1ZRW* (277 208) servers and the IRLP 9010 reflector during the contact.

1. Upcoming School Contacts
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C. has been approved for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Saturday, May 3 at 15:52 UTC via the telebridge station NN1SS in Greenbelt. This year Space Day will celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA and NASA’s achievements through space exploration. Youth, ages 12 -18, will participate. The Washington Post, the NASM Web site and NASM e-news will report on the contact. The event is open to the public and thousands are expected to attend. The audio from this contact is expected to be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) Conference Room servers and the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

1. Upcoming School Contacts
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, April 21 at 17:48 UTC via the telebridge station W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, California. Arnold Palmer is one of 8 hospitals under the Orlando Regional Healthcare umbrella and addresses the unique medical needs of children in the Central Florida area. The children who participate in this contact will be patients at the hospital. It will be an exciting surprise and enriching experience that will make their hospital stay a memorable event. The audio from this contact will be fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) and JK1ZRW (277 208) Conference Room servers and the IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

An International Space Station Expedition 17 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida, USA on 21 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:48 UTC.

The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over most of the Western USA. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English. Audio from the QSO is planned to be fed into the EchoLink *AMSAT* (101 377) and *JK1ZRW* (277 208) servers during the contact.

An International Space Station visiting crew ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the National Science Museum of Korea, Daejon, Republic of Korea on 18 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 01:35 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations HL0ARISS and HL0HQSC. The contact should be audible over most of Korea and parts of Eastern Asia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in Korean.

The National Science Museum, as an umbrella organization of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, is open to anyone and anytime to present the interesting, latest information, science and technology policies and achievements of scientific R&D.

1. Upcoming School Contacts
Central Middle School in Parsippany, New Jersey, has been slated for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, April 14 at 17:03 UTC. An essay and presentation contest will be held to determine which students will speak with the astronaut. The New Providence Amateur Radio Club will assist with the contact. The event will be available through a live transmission to all local schools using amateur band fast scan television. The school will notify CBS, NBC, ABC, New Jersey 12, the local and state newspapers, New York Times, USA Today, local and state elected officials, Board of Education members, district personnel, and New Jersey Education Association of the event.

An International Space Station Expedition 16 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Central Middle School West Parsippany, New Jersey USA on 14 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:03 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and N2XJ. The contact should be audible over most of the Eastern USA. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

The Parsippany Troy-Hills Township School District is the largest school district in Morris County, New Jersey totaling over 7000 students.