September 17, 2014

Students at Institut Florimont, Petit-Lancy, Switzerland  spoke with astronaut Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT during a scheduled telebridge contact with Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT via 4U1ITU on Wed 2014-09-17 08:17:28 UTC 88 deg. 

Watch a local media report about the event at: https://www.radioamateurs-france.fr/limage-du-jour-contact-ariss-depuis-4u1itu-20167/

Institut Florimont is a co-educational day school offering children from 3 to 18 years of age a complete education from kindergarten to the three diplomas that will open the doors to higher education. As well as encouraging academic excellence, Florimont fosters the traditional values and beliefs that are important for life.

Since 1905, Florimont has been preparing students for the French Baccalaureat and, as of 1942, for the Swiss Maturité. From September 2014 our range of final examinations will include the bilingual (French-English) International Baccalaureate. Therefore, Florimont will offer children even more opportunities and more choices, allowing them easier access to the world's best universities.

The four sections of our school work together to ensure the continuity and coherence of the programme of study. Clear procedures are in place to ensure that new students joining us from other private or public schools are successfully integrated. Close communication with parents, additional lessons and one-to-one tutoring are just some of the ways that Florimont supports students during their studies.

Our student body is made up of more than fifty nationalities making Florimont a rich multi-cultural and multi-lingual learning environment. The importance we attach to this is reflected in our language learning programme. In addition to English, emphasis is placed on German, Switzerland's predominant language, as well as on Chinese, Spanish and Italian. Other languages such as Russian and Arabic are individually tutored or taught to small groups.Bilingual classes in French and English are offered from the first year of the middle school.

Priority is given to partnerships and exchanges with leading schools worldwide, as well as to many activities that can add value to a university application.

Our students are encouraged to be entrepreneurial, bold, adaptable and creative because we know that these qualities will not only strengthen their university applications but also prepare them to face the challenges of working life.
__________________________________________________________________________

September 9, 2014

A direct contact with students at Lanier Middle School and Lanier Cluster Schools in Sugar Hill, GA, USA  via W4GR was successful at 11:16:25 UTC 83 deg.  

Read and listen to a local media report about the contact: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/sep/09/radio-contact-allows-lanier-students-to-talk-with/

Welcome to the Lanier Cluster, home of the Longhorns! We are a group of schools with a common goal: Learn, Lead, Succeed. We are comprised of one special needs preschool (The Buice School), three elementary schools (Sugar Hill Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, White Oak Elementary), one middle school (Lanier Middle), and one high school (Lanier High). Our schools are located in the greater Atlanta metro area in the largest school district in Georgia. Our schools and cluster are named after nearby Lake Lanier, which part of the Chattahoochee River system.

Our schools strive to create authentic learning environments for our students. Towards that end, our elementary schools, Lanier Middle, and Lanier High have project based learning programs for students. At Lanier High, students choose to be a part of a school within a school (academy model) as we guide students towards career and college readiness. Lanier High was also recently certified as a Georgia STEM high school, the only all-inclusive, traditional high school in Georgia that has received this STEM certification. 

Our students are excited about science and space exploration. They have participated in regional and state science fairs, designed an experiment flown in microgravity, and chatted with a NASA Earth scientist live on NASA TV. They have presented at conferences, participated in robotics and app challenge events, and even won an Emmy for work on a 3D computer animation for a PBS documentary. The students of Lanier Cluster are excited to be a part of this ARISS contact!
___________________________________________________________________________

September 8, 2014

A direct contact with students at St. Joan of Arc  School, Lisle, IL, USA via K9LEZ  was successful  at 18:34:45 UTC 84 deg. Students interviewed astronaut Alexander Gerst KF5ONO.

Listen to a local media report: chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/09/08/students-at-lisle-school-chat-with-astronaut-aboard-international-space-station/ 

St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is located in Lisle, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. We are a pre-K to 8th grade school with about 600 students. St. Joan provides an educational environment which grants each student access to the highest quality and richest variety of integrated educational experiences within our means. We are committed to preparing our students to think critically and become confident, sensitive, Christian leaders capable of adapting and contributing to their community. Our school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence in 2011. Our school was named an IMSA (Illinios Math and Science Academy) Fusion School in 2012. Our school participated in NASA’s microgravity program through the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in 2013.  The teachers directly involves in this contact completed the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) summer teacher institute program and are working with local radio amateurs to successfully complete this contact and to provide additional opportunities to our classrooms.
___________________________________________________________________________

September 5, 2014

A direct contact with students in St. Petersburg, Russia was successful 2014-09-05 10:00 UTC.  No other details are available at this time. 
___________________________________________________________________________

September 3, 2014

A successful direct contact was conducted between students at the Evansville Day School, Evansville, IN and astronaut Greg (Reid) Wiseman,  on the ISS.  All 15 prepared questions plus two others were answered during the contact. For all their STEM efforts leading up to the ARISS contact, the mayor of Evansville declared Sept 3 as "Evansville Day School Science Day."

Read an advance story about the event: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2014/may/24/eds-students-will-use-ham-radio-to-make-contact.
 
View local media stories about the contact:
http://www.14news.com/story/26439236/evansville-day-school-students-talk-to-space-station-astronaut

http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/students-contact-astronaut-on-international-space/92921/G-UMeW6OfE6jKcA2dNFoWQ

Evansville Day School is an independent school located in Evansville, Indiana. We have just over 300 students in junior pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. After five of our teachers flew in microgravity in the summer of 2012, our entire school has been excited to learn more about space. We have been looking forward to this ARISS project since last spring when the students participated in an amateur radio demonstration with the help of the Tri-State Amateur Radio Society. All of our students have had the opportunity to discuss what they would ask an astronaut, and submit their questions. We are really looking forward to participating in this contact. 
___________________________________________________________________________

September 1, 2014

A direct contact between astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO and students at Gymnasium Siegburg Alleestraße, Siegburg, Germany via  DN6KW was successful Mon 2014-09-01 13:12:54 UTC 88 deg. Gerst answered 17 questions for students.

Listen to a recording of the interview: http://www.westbeld.de/amateurfunk/iss-kontakt-am-gymn-siegburg-alleestrasse/

Our school is a whole-day (8 – 4 o’clock p.m.) high school and college (1,000 students, 100 staff) that prepares its students for the final examination after 8 years. Our school, situated close to the center of Siegburg, sits in the middle of a park like campus.

We teach the languages traditionally taught in Germany, and alongside offer our students ABIBAC, a bi-lingual language curriculum, which opens the possibility of getting the French Baccalaureate, in addition to the German Abitur. These students acquire admission to not only German, but also to French universities. Some subjects are also taught in English.

Both our world and our society and, thus, education, are subject to constant change. Three important “pillars”, however, are considered to be permanent and accordingly, make Gymnasium Siegburg Alleestraße a reliable partner:
     - Educational and academic qualities and commitment to ethical values
     - Integration of all groups and elements that constitute school life
     - Focus on health and wellbeing of students and staff

In addition to our foreign language profile we encourage and support musically interested students in special classes in which it is obligatory for all members to play an instrument. Students may later opt for music as their major subject.  A very wide range of natural sciences completes our school profile.

For several years now our school has been in contact with the University of Bonn working on a project in space science and remote sensing, sponsored by DLR (German Aerospace Centre) and BMWi (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology). The project allows our junior and senior students to participate in an analysis of data as well as in a satellite surveying remote sensing with reference to scientific problems.

For this reason, our school community is very pleased and proud to have been selected for the live call in September with Dr. Alexander Gerst on the ISS in September.
__________________________________________________________________________

August 30, 2014

A direct contact via R4UAB with students at The Center Of Supplementary  Education For Children Of Ruzayev District,  Mordovia Republic, Russia was successful 2014-08-30 10:00 UTC   This contact was part of the About Gagarin From Space program.

Watch a video recording of the event at: http://r4uab.ru/?page_id=6368.
__________________________________________________________________________

August 28, 2014

A direct contact via RA1AJN with students in St. Petersburg, Russia was successful  2014-08-28. 11:40 UTC.

Listen to a partial recording of the contact conducted in Russian: 

August 27, 2014

A direct contact with students at Dorothy Grant Elementary School, Fontana, CA, USA was successful Wed 2014-08-27 18:31:28 UTC 83 deg.  Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO was able to answer 7 questions for students during the communication window.

Read and advance story about the planned contact: http://www.dailybulletin.com/media/20131216/young-radio-amateurs-at-fontana-school-anticipate-space-station-link

Read media reports about the event: 
http://www.sbsun.com/technology/20140827/fontana-elementary-school-makes-contact-with-international-space-station 
http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/article_8d8d6552-2e37-11e4-bb64-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=image&photo=0

Dorothy Grant Elementary School opened its doors in August 2004 and was named after a local prominent, nationally renowned civil rights leader who passed away in April 2013. Mrs. Grant was vested in education, and could be seen most mornings at our school gates welcoming our students to school.  

Our school is a community school located in the middle of a residential neighborhood and serves over 780 students in preschool through grade 5.  We also have an early childhood special education program and Special Day Class for 5th grade students.  Many of our students participate in our after-school program, as well as a variety of school clubs that are headed by teachers or parents, such as the gardening club.

Dorothy Grant Elementary School proudly earned the California Department of Education’s 2013 Title I Academic Achievement Award and is a California Distinguished School. This prestigious honor is a reflection of the school’s system of support for all students at all learning levels. Innovative intervention strategies and differentiated instruction greatly impacted school-wide student performance to meet state and federal standards of excellence.

On October 27, 2012, the Dorothy Grant Elementary Amateur Radio Club was established. Each year nearly 50 students in the 4th and 5th grades learn about amateur radio and participate in activities and programs that teach them about electronics and radio communication techniques. Amateur radio has enhanced reading, writing, mathematics, geography, and communication skills for all students. The club recently installed a 50 ft. Rohn tower and beam antenna in hopes of making more international contacts on 10, 15, and 20 meters. The use of technology is strongly emphasized throughout the curriculum and used as a tool to enhance class lessons.
__________________________________________________________________________

August 26, 2014

A telebridge contact via IK1SLD providing an interview for students at SPACE KAMP Sterrenlab, Noordwijk, The Netherlands with astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO was successful Tue 2014-08-26 11:36:32 UTC 65 deg. Gerst answered 18 questions for students.

Listen to an audio recording of the contact.

The Amicale Space Camp includes 25 children aged 8-13 years old of different European nationalities. It includes children of the European Patent Office staff and takes place in Noordwijk (Stay Okay hostel) from the 25th to the 29th of August 2014. All camp activities are designed to entertain children, stimulate their creative and manual skills, and teach them about science and space. The contact with the International Space Station will be a key activity in the program as it gives the children the opportunity to talk with an astronaut and understand that space is an international endeavor.
___________________________________________________________________________

August 26, 2014

A direct contact with students at Winfree Bryant Middle School, Lebanon, TN, USA  was successful Tue 2014-08-26  16:12:47 UTC  24 deg.  Astronaut  Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT answered 16 questions for students.

Read an advance story on the school website: http://www.lebanondemocrat.com/article/schools/459141 
View videos of the event posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp1Q7-c_Xm0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdNvbWKaHvE

As one of two middle schools in Lebanon Special School District, Winfree Bryant Middle School is in its fourth year of serving students in grades 6 – 8. Located in Wilson County in the heart of middle Tennessee twenty-eight miles east of Nashville, the city of Lebanon has approximately 27,000 residents. Winfree Bryant serves approximately 600 students with 66.5% Caucasian, 16.6% African American, 14.4% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and less than 1% Native American/Mixed Race. Forty-eight percent of the school population is female and fifty-two percent of the population is male. Approximately 65% of students fall within the demographics of economically disadvantaged.        

Winfree Bryant’s mission statement is “Different and Making a Difference.”  As a school family, that is what teachers and staff set out to do on a daily basis.  Although our number one responsibility is to teach Tennessee State Standards and grow students academically, we first love our children and provide for their daily needs.  Without relationship, there can be no learning, and our teachers and administrators take very seriously the mission of making a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.      

The faculty and staff embodies this mission by never giving up on a child – academically, emotionally, and socially.  Expectations for academics are high and behavioral expectations are rigorous in order to best support a positive learning environment.  In return, we look forward to a harvest of hardworking responsible citizens who then make a difference in a positive way to our community.
__________________________________________________________________________

August 22, 2014

A  telebridge contact with students at Zuni Hills Elementary School, Sun City, AZ, USA, via  K6DUE was successful.Fri 2014-08-22 17:47:05 UTC 45 deg.  Astronaut Greg Wiseman answered more than 18 questions for the assembled students and audience.

Watch a video recording of the contact: http://youtu.be/cQpAlsBE2IE 

Zuni Hills Elementary School is a K-8th grade school and falls in the Peoria Unified School District. Our district is the third largest in the state of Arizona with 33 elementary schools and 7 high schools. Our district is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.  Our district has a 95% graduation rate and last year students accepted more than 50 million dollars in scholarships.
___________________________________________________________________________

August 18, 2014

ARISS-Russia Team Deploys CubeSat during Russian EVA 

The ARISS-Russia team coordinated the hand deployment of a CubeSat with help of Cosmonauts Oleg Artemiev and Alexander Skvortsov during a Russian EVA that was conducted on Monday August 18.  The CubeSat, called NS-1 “Chasqui”, was co-developed as a STEM education activity co-sponsored by a Russian-Peruvian team.  The CubeSat plans to send down SSB beacon messages every two minutes on 437.025 MHz and downlink its telemetry over the Kursk University in Russia. 
___________________________________________________________________________

August 13, 2014

A telebridge contact with students at Canada Science and Technology Museum Summer Day Camps, Ottawa,  ON, Canada via IK1SLD was successful Wed 2014-08-13  17:18:49 UTC 65 deg.

The Canada Science and Technology Museum is a national museum located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Museum’s day camps are a large part of the educational strategy of the Museum to cultivate scientific, technological and engineering literacy in Canada. Our Summer Camps programs have run for over 12 years for children aged 6-12 with a curiosity for science. Each of the five camps has a different theme incorporating various aspects of science, technology and engineering: Adventures in Science (ages 6-8), Gadgets and Gizmos (ages 6-8), Junior Astronomers (ages 6-8), Ultimate Builders (ages 9-12) and Adventures in Robotics (ages 9-12).
___________________________________________________________________________

August 6, 2014

A direct contact via 8J3AK with students at Amino Kita Elementary School, Kyotango, Japan on Wed 2014-08-06 10:25:43 UTC 68 deg was successful.  Students conducted the interview in English with astronaut Gregory Wiseman, KF5LKT and received answers to 23 questions.

A recording of the contact is available on UStream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pe1keh

Amino Kita Elementary School was opened on April 1, 1983. Our school is located at the northernmost tip of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. We have 244 students now, who all study hard and pursue sports actively. Our school is surrounded by a rich, natural environment.

The location of our school is recognized as a part of Quasi-National Park and the National Geo Park. It is also only 100 meters away from the beach. Students in the 6th grade swim one kilometer in the sea every year. During the current season, summer, a lot of lights from squid fishing boats can be seen in the sea at night. Maybe you can see them from the ISS? 

Our school has beautiful grounds covered with green grass. At recess, our students play in the grounds full of energy. There are straight hallways more than 100 meters long in our school. They are sometimes used in our arithmetic classes to learn how to measure distance.  

The members of our space club will ask you some questions today. These questions were thought of by all of the students. It is a new club that began this year. They are studying the stars and moon, and practicing English hard so that they can make contact with you. All of the people in our school are really looking forward to getting in touch with the astronauts in the ISS.
________________________________________________________________________

August 5, 2014

France WIll Now Allow Students Third Party Communication With The ISS

On July 16, 2014 the French State Secretary for Digital Affairs, Axelle Lemaire, responded to a request by the Deputy of Haute-Vienne Province, Daniel Boiserrie, authorizing French students to participate directly in ARISS educational school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator.  Until now, the French administration was very restrictive. For direct school contacts, the operator read the questions prepared by the students. Even this is "third party", but was tolerated by the French regulatory authority. 
 
Most European countries allow students to participate directly in ARISS school contacts under the supervision of a licensed operator. Permission to do so requires varying procedures from country to country, but the issue of enabling "third party" communications can generally be solved. Until now, the only exception was France. Notwithstanding years and years of efforts, French schoolchildren had no access to the mike for direct amateur radio communications with the ISS. The letter from the Secretary of State in charge of telecommunications now changes the game.   
 
On behalf of the European ARISS partners, Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman, extends thanks to Sylvain Valat, F1UJT, who led this successful effort.
___________________________________________________________________________

August 2, 2014

• A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with Scouts at Space Jam 8, Rantoul Airport & Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul IL, USA was successful Sat 2014-08-02 12:23:19 UTC 60 deg. Astronaut Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT answered 26 questions asked by Scouts during the pass.
  

Listen to an audio recording of the interview:

Greetings to all stations from the participants and volunteers of Space Jam 8 in Rantoul, Illinois. Though primarily a weekend Scouting and STEM education event, we are open to all interested youth. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venturing Crews from 22 states and this year Canada have come together in an educational and fun format to learn more about the life skills that will prepare them for the increasingly complex technological future. While it is well known that Scouting teaches pioneering skills like camping and wilderness survival, the new pioneers and wilderness are in outer space and we are working hard at 44 technology oriented Merit Badges and activities, plus some fun things like the Duct Tape Merit Badge and experiencing 1/3 gravity. Talking to the astronauts on the ISS is an unforgettable part of the experience at Space Jam and that's next on our list. We will not know for many years whether one of these youths becomes an astronaut themselves but it is certain that they are all part of tomorrow's leaders. 

Find more information about Space Jam at http://spacejamboree.com/pages/about

July 25, 2014

A direct contact via RZ9WWB with students participating in Gagarin From Space at Vii Youth Rally Of Radio Amateurs In Bashkiria, Ufa, Russia was successful 2014-07-25 21:38 UTC.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 21, 2014

The Ham Video transmitter on board Columbus will be activated Tuesday July 22 at 9:55 UTC in Blank Transmission mode, without camera connected.

The transmitter will run permanently until August 6, 2014 in configuration 4:

• - 2.395GHz

• - 2.0 MSym/sec.

ARISS-Europe Chair, Gaston Bertels invites ground stations to submit reception reports to the following website, http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 11, 2014

A direct contact with students at DLR School Lab, Braunschweig, Germany, via DH1ALF was successful Fri 2014-07-11 09:37:47  UTC 66 deg. During the interview which was conducted in German, students asked 13 questions of astronaut Alex Gerst, KF5ONO.

View a local media report at: https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/hallo_niedersachsen/Funkkontakt-mit-deutschem-Astronauten-auf-ISS,hallonds22506.html.

Listen to an audio recording of the contact:

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is one of Europe's largest and most modern research institutions. Here is where the aircraft of the future are being developed and pilots trained, rocket engines tested and images of distant planets analyzed. In addition, over 7,700 DLR staff members are investigating next-generation high-speed trains, environmentally responsible methods of generating energy, and much more ...

DLR School Lab in Braunschweig investigates many topics related to transportation: whether on the road, rails, or in the air. In various experiments, school classes can acquaint themselves with the research topics being studied at the science institutes at DLR Braunschweig.

A video recording of astronaut Gerst conducting the interview on the ISS was later posted on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xaeeCPC2sc.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 2, 2014

A direct contact was completed between students at the DLR (German Aerospace Center) Project Lab, Neustrelitz, Germany, and astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO, on Wednesday, 2 July at 12:05:13 UTC.  15 questions were answered.  The contact was conducted in German and streamed live on the web.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is one of Europe's largest and most modern research institutions. Here is where the aircraft of the future are being developed and pilots trained, rocket engines tested and images of distant planets analyzed. In addition, over 7,700 DLR staff members are investigating next-generation high-speed trains, environmentally responsible methods of generating energy, and much more ...

DLR_School_Lab Neustrelitz was opened in September 2011 at DLR in Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Here is where the data from various satellites are received by means of large antennas, and subsequently processed. The student lab is available for visits of one or several days by school classes from this most northerly German state and further afield.

Listen to an audio recording of the interview:

July 1, 2014

Contacts with the International Space Station makes the 2014 ARRL Field Day, One to Remember!

One of the highlights of this year’s ARRL Field Day was a myriad of voice contacts offered up by the International Space Station (ISS).

Through the efforts of crew member Reid Wiseman, many anxious ham radio operators had the experience, perhaps for the first time, of speaking with an astronaut orbiting Earth on board the ISS. 

After an announcement on Tuesday, June 24, of possible voice contacts from the ISS during the upcoming weekend, many Field Day stations across the U.S. set up tracking equipment, radios and antennas, vying for a brief chat with an orbiting astronaut.

Through various social media outlets, hams were able to track where ISS voice transmissions were being received and in most cases, which Field Day stations had made contact. 

One group that was fortunate enough to connect with the ISS were The Boy Scouts of Raymore, MO, Troop 32. Ham operator, Jim Reicher comments … “ I bet the boys could be heard up in orbit even without a radio when Reid answered our call!”

Field Day is held annually during the 4th  weekend of June and is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League or ARRL. The main purpose of Field Day is to allow ham radio operators a chance to practice their emergency response capabilities and serves as a contest for Field Day stations to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible within a designated 24 hour period.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 28, 2014

A direct contact via DN4OD between students at Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf, Markt Indersdorf, Bavaria, Germany, and astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO was completed Sat 2014-06-28 12:08:21  UTC 70 deg.  Unfortunately the contact was compromised by local interference; the cause is being investigated.  Students were able to receive answers to 6 questions.

The grammar school/high school of Markt Indersdorf (Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf GMI, Germany) began operations in the school year of 2001/2002. In 2007 the first students graduated successfully with the certificate qualifying them to go to university (Abitur). Currently, about 90 teachers instruct approximately 1,100 pupils aged 10 to 19, about 250 of them are in the qualification phase (years/grades 11 and 12).

The GMI offers the choice between two faculties, the linguistic and scientific-technological one. Approximately 75 percent of the pupils decide for the latter. The pupils obtain an education in science from the 5th year/grade on, the subject Physics is taught from year/grade 8 on for both faculties, in the scientific-technological profile additional hours for more in-depth education are mandatory. In years/grades 11 and 12, the pupils have the choice between Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Experience has shown that about 30 to 40 per school year decide to take Physics.  About half of them vote for Astrophysics in the 12th year/grade.  From 5th year/grade on, all pupils study English as their first foreign language.

The ISS Project

The pupils are divided for this project into different groups that are each responsible for one of the following activities:

• Technology: Installation, commissioning and maintenance of the antenna system respectively the radio station as well as all the necessary hardware and software

• Planning and monitoring: Organization of the overall sequence of events, initiation of a school's competition to select the questions to the astronauts, organization of rehearsals

• Presentation and documentation: Design of the facilities in question, elaboration of exhibitions and wall papers, construction of a model of the ISS, photo, audio and video documentation

• Public Relations (local and trans-regional): Press, TV, radio and website.

Pupils of all ages should participate in selecting the questions to the astronauts. The examination of questionnaires of other schools which already made contact with the ISS should secure the creation of uncommon and interesting questions that are not asked in every interview.

At the event in question - depending on the date and time - a large number, if possible, of the school family should be present in the assembly hall, for example, to attend a live broadcast from the radio room.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 24, 2014

ISS Voice Contacts This Weekend During ARRL Field Day, June 28

Current discussions between the ARISS team and NASA suggest the possibility of voice contacts with the International Space Station (ISS) during Saturday’s ARRL Field Day activities this coming weekend.

In a June 23 email, Kenneth Ransom, the ISS Ham Radio payload developer,  stated “I have received a response from astronaut (Reid) Wiseman that he is willing to try and work some stations on Saturday. Pass times begin very soon after the start of Field day.” Wiseman would operate under the call sign, NA1SS. Should Alex Gerst participate, he would use the call sign, DP0ISS.

If voice operation does occur, It will likely take place from the Columbus (COL) module using the standard Region 2 uplink frequency of 144.49 MHz and 145.800 MHz for downlink. It’s expected that the packet system will be operational on 145.825 MHz during periods when the crew is not available.

It’s not clear whether any of the Russian crew would participate from the Russian module, but if so, they would be directed to use 437.550 MHz for any contacts using the call sign RS0ISS. The COL would also be available to their crew using the VHF frequencies above, if Wiseman is not operating.

Listed below are approximate pass times and a chart showing ISS passes for the Field Day weekend. The pass times shown are not definite, scheduled times with the crew. They may or may not be able to support these times. And, updates to this tentative plan will be released as they become available.

Saturday, June 28:

• N. America (18:11-18:33 UTC)

• Hawaii (19:36 - 19:47 UTC)
• N. America (19:48-20:10 UTC)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 20, 2014

A telebridge contact with European Space Center, Transinne, Belgium telebridge via  IK1SLD was successful Fri 2014-06-20 18:36:47 UTC 46 deg.

The planned telebridge contact with Focus Camps – Sterrenlab, Italy at the same time was not possible due to phone line  failure impacting the entire town.

Focus Camp, Candriai, Italy

The radio contact with the ISS was to take place during the Focus Campus, a science summer camp addressed to children aged 8 to 13 organized by Focus Junior - the most popular science magazine for children in Italy - and Sterrenlab, the camp organizer. During the week children will participate to science laboratories, learn about science topics and challenge themselves to design and build experiments and machines. The Focus Campus in Candriai (Trento) focuses on tinkering and DIY activities ("Una scienza da creare" - "A science to create"). Children will also have the opportunity to do sport in the morning, play with their friends and visit the alpine nature surrounding the camp premises.

Euro Space Center, Redu, Belgium

About 150 youngsters from all over Europe celebrate the International Closing Event for Mission X 2014 at the Euro Space Center in Belgium. “Mission X train like an astronaut” is an international education project that encourages children to take part in a challenge, adopting a life style reflecting astronaut training. The Closing Event offers participants the opportunity to meet astronauts and trainers, to experience the training simulators for astronauts, to simulate a Shuttle mission and to build a rocket.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 16, 2014

ARISS is Represented at ISS Research and Development Conference

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will have a prominent place at the third annual ISS Research and Development Conference this week. The conference, organized by American Astronautical Society (AAS) in cooperation with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space and NASA, takes place June 17-19 in Chicago. More information is published in this American Radio Relay League (ARRL) news story: http://www.arrl.org/news/view/amateur-radio-role-on-space-station-featured-at-iss-research-and-development-conference.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 16, 2014

A direct contact with Slavic Nations Ham Radio Conference, Sochi, Russia  was successful Thu 2014-06-12 15:40 UTC.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 8, 2014

Ian MacFarquhar, VE9IM appointed as ARISS Regional Representative

The Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) has appointed Ian MacFarquhar, VE9IM to be the new ARISS Regional Representative. Ian replaces former representative, Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA.

Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS-ARRL Delegate and ARISS-International Secretary-Treasurer comments by saying …

“Canadian ARISS representatives have always been a huge benefit to the ARISS team.  Not only have the Canadians contributed a great deal of sound thinking and hard work, but many have been highly active with IARU long before getting involved in ARISS -- this was a huge benefit since ARISS is an international group.  Also, because Canadians, generally, are talented in multiple languages, Canadian ARISS reps take on schools and education groups in Mexico, Central America, and South America (in addition to Canada) who send ARISS education proposals.  Historically, Canadian ARISS reps have handled the election processes for ARISS international officers. We know Ian will add a lot to our team, as well.”     

In a recent press release from RAC, Geoff Bawden VE4BAW, RAC President says …”Mr. MacFarquhar has been Vice President, supervised the successful insurance program and has been a pillar in RAC for longer than he cares to remember.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 28, 2014

 ARISS International Meeting

Minutes from the ARISS International Partners meetings held at European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on April 3 -5, 2014 are now published. Read more.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 7, 2014
 
ESA Presents Ham Video Commissioning

European Space Agency (ESA) published an article on their website, presenting the initial Ham Video transmitter commissioning by Mike Hopkins at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Education/Ham_video_premiers_on_Space_Station. 

Read more about the Ham TV system in development on the ISS.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 1, 2014

A direct contact between astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA and students at Hidden Oaks Middle School, Prior Lake, MN, USA was successful Thu 2014-05-01 16:28:17 UTC 55 deg.

Listen to an audio recording of the interview:

Hidden Oaks is a public 6th through 8th grade middle school serving the communities of Prior Lake and Savage, Minnesota. One of the goals in Minnesota is to increase interest and participation in STEM activities and initiatives. Our future depends on the ability of our kids to understand the workings of the world and the ability to think critically. Our ARISS contact will allow them to have an authentic experience through the use of amateur radio to speak directly with an astronaut aboard ISS. The students have participated in learning sessions conducted by the local ham radio community, learning about the technology needed to make the contact possible. They have also participated in the Micro Gravity Experience this past summer. The school is very excited to have this opportunity; all 900 students are looking forward to the conversation and have been working on special projects related to spaceflight and exploration.

April 29, 2014

A direct contact with students at Aboshinishi Elementary School, Himeji-City, Japan, via  8N3AB was successful Tue 2014-04-29 09:05:15 UTC 80 deg. Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA answered 30 questions for students.

Listen to a video recording of the interview: http://www.ariss.jp/aboshinishi/8n3ab.avi

The Aboshinishi elementary school founded in 1976, is a small school in western Himeji-city with a total number of 359 students.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 21, 2014

A direct contact with students at Dixon Elementary School, Holly Ridge, NC, USA via NC4OC was successful Mon 2014-04-21 18:05:53 UTC 41 deg.  Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA answered 20 questions for students.

Dixon Elementary School is located in a rural setting, with its feeder communities North Topsail Beach, Sneads Ferry, Holly Ridge and Surf City.  Our community has seen sharp rises in the population of retirees and young families both military and civilian.   With the deployment of large numbers of military personnel to Camp Lejeune, New River Air Station, and MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Center) at Stone Bay, the Dixon area continues to grow.  Our school population as of February 2014 is over 900 students.  Dixon Elementary is a Title 1 School with 38% of our students receiving free or reduced meal benefits.  Our student population consists of 81% white students, .09% American Indian, .06% Hispanic, 9% Black, 2% Asian and .007% Pacific Islander. 

Dixon Elementary was initially accredited by AdvancEd in 1978.  Students are served by highly qualified teachers in 38 regular classrooms, three self-contained exceptional children's classrooms and two pre-kindergarten classrooms.  There are six highly qualified resource teachers who also offer support to our large population of exceptional children.  Dixon Elementary is a charter member of the National Elementary Honor Society and the Global Schools Network. 

 In the fall of 2012 Dixon Elementary implemented a STEM classroom for instruction in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students in grades K-5. Students rotate through the STEM classroom every 7 days. The STEM classroom teacher, a veteran science and math teacher, provides hands-on science and math instruction and project-based learning, including a variety of engineering projects.  Each year Dixon Elementary hosts a SPACE DAY for students in Pre-K through 5th grade, with our community joining us in this spectacular event.

Students at Dixon Elementary students think strategically as they learn to play chess, participate in book studies, Scrabble Club, Robotics Club, Girls on the Run Club, Boys' Running Club, Academic Derby, Recycling Club (recently recognized by the National Council of Keep America Beautiful as the leading public school in recycling), Odyssey of the Mind (world competitors two out of the last three years),  Science Fair competitors (Regional, State and National champions), and Science Olympiad. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 14, 2014

Ham Video Commissioning Completed

The final Ham Video Commissioning Pass was performed flawlessly Sunday April 13 at 18.23 UTC.
For more details, read the current HamTV Bulletin.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 12, 2014

Ham Video Commissioning – Final

The final Ham Video Commissioning Pass 4 is planned Sunday April 13 at 18.23 UTC. For more details, read the current HamTV Bulletin.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

April 6, 2014

Ham Video Blank Transmissions

Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a "blank" image and no audio in configuration 5. For more details, read the current HamTV Bulletin.

March 31, 2014
 
We have been able to confirm the following ISS amateur radio contacts conducted with Russian schools as part of an "About Gagarin From Space" program:

• A direct contact with Secondary School № 2, Obojan Kursk Region via  RD3WAY was successful 2014-03-04 10:20 UTC.

• A direct contact with winners of the "Ask your question of an astronaut" contest at the Center of Space Communications, St.  Petersburg via RA1AJN was successful 2014-03-03 09:33 UTC.
• A direct contact with the Centre for Tourism and Youth Policy, Ruzaevo Municipal District, Republic of Mordovia via UB3UAD was successful 2014-03-02 10:24 UTC.
• A direct contact with Children and  Youth Centre "Galaxy" of Kaluga  via RK3X was successful  2014-03-01 11:12 UTC.

A direct contact with Polytechnic College Number 42, Russia, on Space Experiments "Gagarin of the Cosmos" via UB3AFD was successful Sat 2014-02-22 13:40 UTC.
__________________________________________________________________________

March 25, 2014

A telebridge contact via W6SRJ with students at Melbourne Grammar School – Grimwade House, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia was successful Tue 2014-03-25 08:43:15 UTC 79 deg. Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA answered 20 questions for students.

Listen to an audio recording of the contact.

Melbourne Grammar School – Grimwade House is a co-educational Primary School with 650 students aged from 5 to 12 years old. Grimwade House bases its education on the Australian Curriculum. One of the Major Learning Areas outlined in the Australian Curriculum is Science.  Grimwade House is fortunate to have a purpose built Science room and a teacher who is dedicated to and passionate about the teaching of Science. All students from Prep to Year 4 have one lesson of Science per week and Year 5 and Year 6 students have a double lesson of Science each fortnight.

Lesson topics:
      - Students investigate features of the Earth’s interior
      - Students investigate the relative distances of the planets in our solar system
      - Students investigate constellations seen in the night skies in the Southern Hemisphere
      - Students investigate shadows and their relationship to light sources in Space 
      - Students investigate propulsion
      - Students investigate insulation and other elements astronauts need to consider when exploring our place in Space.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 21, 2014

Ham Video Blank Transmissions Planning

Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a "blank" image and no audio in configuration 3:

• ARISS antenna 43
• Frequency 2395 MHz
• Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s

Transmission will continue in this configuration till the end of the week. On Sunday March 23, Ham Video will start transmitting in configuration 4, i.e. 2395MHz and 2.0 Ms/s.

For details on future plans, read today's HamTV Bulletin.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 20, 2014

A  contact between astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA with students at Forest Knolls Elementary School, Silver Spring, MD, USA was successful Thu 2014-03-20 14:38:33 UTC 68 deg. The contact was direct via KB3WOA.  Astronaut Wakata answered 20 questions for students.

Watch a local news story: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/25034126/elementary-students-at-md-school-speak-to-astronaut-aboard-international-space-station#axzz2wbWpwaW6

School website story and video: http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story.aspx?id=357551

Forest Knolls Elementary School is a PreK-5 school in Silver Spring, MD, about 8 miles outside of Washington, DC.  We are also only a few miles away from NASA Goddard Space Center in Beltsville, MD.

The school has over 700 students with a very diverse ethnic population with students from 18 countries. There are 16 different languages spoken, and about one-third of the students are Hispanic. 

It has an inclusion program for physically disabled students.  We also have a Communication Arts program, in which the students focus on Research, Written Communication and Media Production.  Susan Michal, magnet coordinator, integrates this program into all classrooms at all grade levels. 

There is a school amateur radio station, KB3WOA, which holds an after school club under the direction of one of the teachers, Melissa Happ, KB3VEX and her husband, Tom Happ, KJ4YFH.  There are about 15 students involved in the after school club.  The radio station is also used with classes, at various grade levels, as part of the curriculum in Social Studies and Communication.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 14, 2014

A direct contact with students at Warren Consolidated Schools, Warren, MI, USA via W8HP was successful Fri 2014-03-14 11:24:58 UTC 55 deg. Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA answered 24 questions posed by students.

Watch a local news report:
http://www.cityofwarren.org/index.php/tv-warren-shows/163-a-tv-warren-news

Read local news stories:
http://www.sourcenewspapers.com/articles/2014/03/17/news/doc532216695d0a6049720118.txt
http://www.candgnews.com/news/local-students-reach-stars-amateur-radio.

Watch an event video produced by the local ham radio community:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCm6pHf_XE0.

Listen to a recording of the contact:

The mission of the Warren Consolidated Schools (WCS) district, in partnership with families and community, is to achieve a level of excellence in teaching and learning which enables all students to become knowledgeable, productive, ethical, and successful citizens. To help meet that goal, WCS supports programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which give students a real hands-on experience in education.

The Middle School Mathematics Science Technology Center [(MS)2TC] has been built on the Warren Consolidated Schools district's internationally successful high school, the Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center (MMSTC). While the high school program integrates seamlessly mathematics, science and technology, the middle school program integrates mathematics, science and informational literacy (reading and writing) with technology infused into each area. Both programs provide students with real-world, project-based learning activities that challenge their thinking, broadens their understanding of the world, and stretches their knowledge base while meeting the developmental needs of the students they serve.

The (MS)2TC student population consists of students from five different middle schools within the WCS district while the MMSTC student population draws from eleven different school districts within the county of Macomb in southeastern Michigan. Both schools serve a diverse community of students who come from various socioeconomic and ethnic groups.

The program goals of the MMSTC and (MS)2TC are to research, design, implement, and develop a powerful, unique learning environment and experience for high achieving students at the middle school and high school level that integrates mathematics, science, English language arts, and technology. To achieve this goal we have created a curriculum framework based upon the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which integrates mathematics and literacy standards mirrored in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 13, 2014

Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA spoke with students at H. J. Cambie Secondary, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, in direct contact via VE7RAR Thu 2014-03-13 16:58:27 UTC 54 deg. 

HJ Cambie Secondary is a public school in the Richmond School District in British Columbia. We enroll approximately 700 students from grade 8-12. Cambie is comprised of a diverse cultural population of students. The student population of Cambie is composed of many different cultures along with thirty different language groups – 67% of our student population speaks a language other than English at home.

Cambie students are known for being strong leaders in our community. We offer a variety of courses in Mathematics, Sciences, Social Studies, the Arts, Business Ed, Athletics, and Modern Languages. Cambie has a thriving Leadership program that begins in Gr 8 with our Pathways program. Students in our leadership program give back a great deal to our community and fundraise for local charities. We have a strong Health Science program with work experience opportunities for our students and First responder training. In addition, Cambie has a world-class robotics club who competed at the World Robotics Championships last year in Orlando.

Cambie students are comparing the uniqueness of the ARISS contact to the first steps on the moon! This is a once in a lifetime experience for them and big on the "coolness factor"!!! We feel like we have won the lottery! This opportunity has brought a new energy to our classrooms. The staff and students are engaging in learning on levels that transcend the classroom walls. Music classes are performing space theme songs, computer CADD classes are designing digital mission patches, foods classes are learning about nutrition in space and our Health Science students are discussing how physiology is affected with space travel! The engagement opportunities the ARISS contact has provided our school are endless. We are celebrating the March 2014 ARISS contact with a 1.5 hour live show with speakers from MDA (makers of the Canadarm) and Urthecast (who’s cameras were just installed on the ISS), and interactive shows from Science World and the HR MacMillan Science Centre. Our ARISS contact is being video simulcast to a second gym in our school (where many elementary students are also joining us), and broadcast to the web where other schools across the district (and world) will be watching the live video feed!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 12, 2014

Ham Video Commissioning Steps 1 and 2 Successful

The Ham Video transmitter commissioning steps 1 and 2 were performed as planned. Working together with ESA / B.USOC, the ARISS team in Matera did an excellent job. On Saturday March 8, 4 configurations were tested with antenna 41. On Sunday March 9, 6 configurations were tested with antenna 43. 

Read the latest HamTV Bulletin for more details and information on future plans..

A news story published by ARRL, Inc. provides more details on the test transmissions: http://www.arrl.org/news/ham-video-transmits-live-images-of-astronaut-mike-hopkins-kf5ljg-from-the-iss.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 8, 2014

Ham Video Transmitting from ISS

On Saturday March 8, 2014 ESA proceeded to step 1 of the Ham Video Commissioning process. Michael Hopkins KF5LJG operated the Ham Video transmitter while an ARISS team received the DATV signals at the VLBI station in Matera, Italy.

ARISS has permission to use the 20m dish of the VLBI telescope in southern Italy for HamVideo commissioning. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is a radio astronomy technique which uses an international chain of ground stations. The 20m dish is part of the Centre for Space Geodesy (CGS) of the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

Using the Matera dish, S-band DATV can be received for 8 minutes during a pass of the ISS.  This time is needed for testing the Ham Video transmitter in different configurations.

During the Saturday pass, the configurations were tested with ARISS antenna 41 with good results. On Sunday March 9, the configurations were tested with ARISS antenna 43, also with excellent results.

Presently the Ham Video transmitter is running permanently without camera. Amateur operators are invited to file reception reports of this "blank" transmission.

Details are provided in Ham Video Bulletins, available on www.ariss-eu.org.

The next commissioning step is planned for April 12.

Photos below of the ground station in Matera, Italy are provided by Francesco De Paolis IK0WGF.

March 5, 2014

A direct contact between astronaut Mike Hopkins KF5LJG and students at Rock Bridge Elementary School, Columbia, MO, USA via  KMØR was successful: Wed 2014-03-05 14:00:13 UTC 33 deg. 

Here’s a link to a  video of the  Rock Bridge Elementary ARISS contact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNyBQQ3Ui8

Read local news stories: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/education/rock-bridge-students-talk-to-astronaut-on-international-space-station/article_0a7ae394-a48d-11e3-855e-10604b9f6eda.html  and  http://www.komu.com/news/rockbridge-students-contact-astronauts/


Rock Bridge Elementary School is a K-5 public school operating within the Columbia Public School District. It is located in Columbia, Missouri. The school offers a core curriculum, with emphasis on science, technology, and math. Rock Bridge has a strong belief that in order to prepare students for success in the 21st century, today’s learners must be able to think critically and creatively, work collaboratively, and master an ever growing list of skills. The student body is made up of 672 students from all over the Boone County, Missouri area. The school has 24 classroom teachers, 6 special area teachers, 5 teaching assistants in addition to 2 pre-school teachers. The school’s mission is to cultivate learners and leaders who are inspired, able, and prepared to make a positive difference in the world.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 3, 2014

A direct contact between astronaut Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG and students at Central Square Middle School, Central Square, NY, USA  was successful 2014-03-03 14:05:15 UTC 31 deg.
Because of technical difficulties, students were able only to receive replies for two questions.

An advance story about the planned contact is available at: http://www.oswegocountyweeklies.com/citizenoutlet.php?details&story_id=12962&story_year=2014&story_month=3

The Central Square Middle School (CSMS) has approximately 1000 students in grades 6, 7, and 8. CSMS is actually 3 schools within a school that function on their own. Each school has grades 6, 7, and 8 and is identified as House 1, House 2, or House 3.  Students are assigned to a grade-level team within a house.

Students in grades 7 and 8 can participate in interscholastic athletics of many types. There are also many clubs that all grade levels can participate in throughout the year including (to name a few) Leadership (Student Government), Fishing Club, Chess Club and Amateur Radio Club.
Amateur Radio Club, KC2ILA, has been active at CSMS for more than two decades. We acquired our call sign in 2001, but used our club advisor’s call sign before that. Over the years we have been involved in various electronic construction projects, KC2ILA is always a presence on the air during School Club Roundup in February, and we are always tracking spacecraft carrying Amateur Radios.

Over the years several students have spoken with astronauts on space shuttles and students at CSMS spoke with 5 of the 7 NASA astronauts and several cosmonauts, who resided on the Mir Space Station. In September 1994 CSMS organized a scheduled contact between astronauts on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-64) and students from 8 school districts in Central New York. The radios for the contact were located at the Museum of Science and Technology (MoST) in Syracuse, NY.  

In the spring of 2013 several club members worked on preparing the application for another scheduled contact, this time with the International Space Station. We are hoping this conversation goes as well as our first scheduled contact!
 

March 2, 2014

Ham Video Commissioning Now Scheduled

According to Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman, the Ham Video transmitter, which is stored in the Columbus module of the International Space Station, will be installed March 6, 2014. The transmitter will be powered on briefly. The first Commissioning step is planned March 8.  For full details read Bertels'  March 2 HamTV Bulletin.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 1, 2014

A direct contact with students at Musashino Elementary School of Hamura-shi, Hamura, Japan, via 8N1MA
was successful Sat 2014-03-01 08:14:19 UTC 60  deg. Twenty-two questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 28, 2014

A direct contact with astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA and students at Exploration Place, Wichita, KS, USA  via WØSOE was successful on the second attempt at  Fri 2014-02-28 at 18:04 UTC.  

Exploration Place offers visitors of all ages interactive environments, hands-on experiences, Kansas’ largest domed theater – the Boeing Dome Theater and Planetarium – imaginative spaces, and outdoor recreation, all located on a 20-acre site along the scenic Arkansas River in downtown Wichita, Kansas. Find more information at  www.exploration.org, www.facebook.com/ExplorationPlace, and www.Twitter.com/DiscoverAtEP.

Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary is located in Wichita, Kansas. Mueller became an aerospace and engineering magnet in 2008 and received a federal grant in 2010 to support the magnet themes with new curriculum, professional development, supplies and technology for teaching aerospace and engineering with a STEM emphasis. It is the only aerospace magnet in the state of Kansas and the first school in Kansas to identify itself as a STEM magnet school.

The Wichita Amateur Radio Club, Inc., established in December, 1932, is organized as a 501c3 Non Profit corporation. Its objectives and purposes are to encourage the public to recognize the value of the amateur radio service and enhance the voluntary noncommercial communication service by providing emergency and other useful communication; extend every amateur operator’s ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art; improve the service by advancing skills in the communication and technical areas; expand the number of trained operators and technicians in the amateur radio corp, and enhance international goodwill through amateur radio.

For this ARISS event these three entities are coming together to provide a unique opportunity for the students to speak to astronauts on board the ISS. The contact would not be possible without technical assistance from the Wichita Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Exploration Place has worked with Mueller Elementary for several years on projects and is excited to once again provide this opportunity with support from NASA.
__________________________________________________________________________

February 21, 2014

A telebridge contact with cadets at Australian Air League - South Australia Wing, Elizabeth, South Australia, via AH6NM was successful Fri 2014-02-21. Twenty questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA.

Watch a local video news report courtesy of Chan.9 TV, Adelaide.

Listen to a recording of the contact:

We have approximately 100 cadets in South Australia, approximately 25% being female. Currently we have three squadrons here in South Australia. Parafield, Gawler and Port Adelaide. Each squadron meets once a week, but also at many other times throughout the year for other reason, such as ANZAC day, citizenship ceremonies, flying days, camps etc.  There are squadrons all over Australia.

The Australian Air League is a youth organisation for boys and girls aged from 8 to 18 years which encourages an interest in aviation as a career or as a hobby for the youth of Australia. The organisation is entirely self-funding and is staffed by volunteers who give their time to achieve its goals.

The aims and objectives of the Australian Air League include:
1. To promote and encourage the development of Aviation in the Youth of Australia
2. To promote good citizenship
3. To promote ingenuity and resourcefulness of its members
4. To develop the physical and mental abilities of its members
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 19, 2014

A contact with students at Fort Belvoir Elementary School, Arlington, VA, USA, hosted by Marymount University was successful Wed 2014-02-19 19:02:07 UTC 79 deg. The contact was by telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.  Twenty-three questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA.

Listen to a recording of the contact:

Fort Belvoir Elementary School (FBES) serves approximately 1,200 students in preK-6th grade, 96 percent of whom who are military dependents.   Located on Fort Belvoir, an Army installation, FBES is part of the Fairfax County Public School System and one of the largest elementary schools in the Washington metropolitan area.  FBES is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Focus elementary school funded by two consecutive grants from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) totaling more than 3.1 million dollars.   The grant program is known as, Operation Patriotic STEM (OPS).  OPS has enabled FBES to create a fully equipped STEM Lab and hire a dedicated STEM Focus resource teacher, who provides inquiry-based, hands-on lessons for all students.   Additionally, students participate in after-school and summer STEM enrichment programming and families enjoy STEM field trips and STEM family days.  These activities are specifically designed to increase students’ enthusiasm for STEM education and potentially encourage them to pursue STEM careers.

The STEM emphasis is further supported through a partnership with Marymount University (MU). MU education and science faculty and students organize hands-on STEM activities for the annual family events such as “Family STEM Day” and the “Science and Engineering Fair and Family Day”.   Additionally, MU will begin a new program for the spring semester 2014. MU pre-service teachers will come to FBES for their “Math and Science Methodologies in Education” coursework.  Pre-service teachers will be bused to FBES weekly, during the spring semester 2014, where they will be instructed by their professor and then practice their newly acquired skills in the classroom with FBES teachers and students.  On the day of the ARISS contact, these students will be present to assist.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 19, 2014

A telebridge contact with students at Delaware Township School, Sergeantsville, NJ, USA  via  VK4KHZ was successful: Wed 2014-02-19 15:04:25 UTC 45 deg. Fourteen questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA.

Read a local news story about the event:http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2014/02/delaware_township_school_stude.html

Listen to a recording of the contact:

Delaware Township School has approximately 400 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.  It is a one school district located in a rural township in Hunterdon County, NJ.  Our school is named for the Delaware River, which runs through part of our township.  Students from Delaware Township School go to high school at Hunterdon Central Regional High School with students from four other sending districts, East Amwell, Readington, and Flemington-Raritan.  Something special about our township is that it celebrated its 175th anniversary this past year and the County of Hunterdon is currently celebrating its 300th anniversary during 2014. One of our former residents, Daniel Bray, was instrumental in securing boats for the Continental Army to cross the Delaware River when retreating from the British during the Revolutionary War. Our township also has the last covered bridge in use in New Jersey.   Our school is proud of not only its township history but also its attention to science.  We have three science labs in our school, one dedicated exclusively to elementary school classes and the other two for middle school classes.  Every year we hold a Science Night showcasing student science projects, research, and inventions.  Our fifth grade students participate in the Science Olympiad completion every year and have been known to bring home many medals.  Many of our students move on to honors science classes in high school. In preparation for this radio contact with the International Space Station, one of our students earned his amateur radio operator license and is helping a classmate to earn his license, too. They will be leading a Radio Club Enrichment program for younger students this year.  We are very excited to make this radio contact with the International Space Station.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 15, 2014

A telebridge contact with students at ITIS Giovanni Caramuel, Vigevano, Italy via AH6NM was successful: Sat 2014-02-15 10:15:59 UTC 64 deg. Nineteen questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA.

Read an announcement about the upcoming contact on the Italian news section of the ESA website :  http://www.esa.int/ita/ESA_in_your_country/Italy/San_Valentino_quasi_con_l_astronauta_collegamento_radio_con_la_ISS

Listen to a recording of the contact:

The Industrial Technical Institute was founded in Vigevano on October 1, 1965 as a branch of ITIS CARDANO in Pavia. In 1976 it became independent and started a Mechanics course. During the school year 1978/79 the Institute was named after Juan Caramuel, Spanish man of art and science. In the next few years the educational offerings of the Institute were completed with technical courses in Electronics and Telecommunication, Computer Science and Chemistry, Materials and Biotechnology.

In the school year 1996/97 a new Scientific Technological Lyceum was added, later becoming the Applied Sciences Lyceum after the school reform in 2010. It is a specific course of study, which is independent from the Industrial Technical Institute, having a syllabus very similar to the traditional Scientific Lyceum but with a greater commitment to technological society.

The Institute has more than 600 students and 31 classes. It is housed in a recently constructed building owned by the Province of Pavia; it can be considered a modern school, since attention is paid to the most innovative educational technologies of the present time, which include up-to-date laboratories. In the school year 2010/11 the Institute obtained from the Ministry of Education the CertINT certificate, due to the school’s commitment to activities carried out in the field of international and intercultural exchange.

___________________________________________________________________________

February 13, 2014

A direct contact with students at Escola Estadual “Gonçalves Dias”, Boa Vista, Brazil,  via PV8DX was successful Thu 2014-02-13.

The school was founded in 1977. It works in two shifts, morning and afternoon with a total of 800 students.

The school has a specialty program dedicated to Computer Science and related areas – students in this area are directly involved in the ARISS event. These same students are involved in the development of questions and related studies. The school has 70 teachers and 30 administrative support staff.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 9, 2014

A direct contact with students at Chuuou Elementary School, Toyoake, Japan via 8N2TCES was successful: Sun 2014-02-09 08:22:48 UTC 62 deg.  Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA answered 12 questions.  The contact was conducted in Japanese.  To watch a video recording of the contact: http://www.ariss.jp/chuuou/8N2TCES.avi

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 8, 2014

A direct contact with students at Takatsuki Dai 1 Junior High School, Takatsuki, Osaka,  Japan, via 8N3T was successful: Sat 2014-02-08 09:11:01 UTC 74  deg.  Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA answered 30 questions. The contact was conducted in Japanese. To watch a video recording of the contact. http://www.ariss.jp/takatsukidaiichi/8n3t.avi
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 7, 2014

Ham Commissioning Postponed

ESA postponed the Ham Video Commissioning to March 8, according to the most recent HamTV Bulletin from Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 5, 2014

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, ARISS-Europe Chairman, provides this update on commissioning of the new HamTV system on the ISS: The flight rules are not yet finalized, hence, the commissioning is delayed.  The plan now is to do the first commissioning step February 15. The last step is still planned for March 8. Blank transmissions will be reduced to a 3 week period. Transmissions will occur on downlink frequencies 2.422 GHz and 2.437 GHz.  Contingent frequencies are 2.369 GHz and 2.395 GHz.  Find more details on the ISS HamTV configuration in the most recent HamTV Bulletin.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 26, 2014

The Ham Video transmitter is on board the International Space Station in the Columbus module is slated to be installed February 5, 2014 by Michael Hopkins KF5LJG. Hopkins will also install the camera and the supporting Bogen arm.  Last week commissioning simulations were performed by ESA, in collaboration with ARISS. The four commissioning steps are scheduled February 8, 15 and 16 and March 5.  Read more

January 18, 2014

A telebridge contact via station K6DUE with Wallingford STEM Academy/Town of Wallingford, CT, USA  was successful Saturday, January 18th. Nineteen questions were answered by astronaut Koichi Wakata,

To read a local news story:http://www.myrecordjournal.com/wallingford/wallingfordnews/3437090-129/students-talk-to-astronaut-aboard-the-space-station.html

Here is a tweet astronaut Wakata sent after the contact: https://twitter.com/Astro_Wakata/status/424806909510549504

Here is a video posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuEUSnaVQGA

Wallingford STEM Academy is a community based and family oriented organization the excites students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  This program, previously known as the Young Astronaut Club of Wallingford and founded in 2000, has been providing STEM enrichment for students in grades 4 through 8 for over thirteen years through Wallingford Youth and Social Services.

 The Wallingford STEM Academy is a collaborative partnership between the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW), the Town of Wallingford Youth and Social Services Department (WYSS), the Wallingford Education Association (WEA).      STEM Academy branches in Wallingford, and Hamden, are the flagship programs for CEA’s STEM Education Initiative. We currently serve the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW) and the general population.  40% of our STEM Enrichment Academy is comprised of students from the Spanish community and 40 % of our students are girls interested in STEM education.  Our weekly meetings are conducted at the Spanish Community of Wallingford Great Room and in our STEM Education Classroom next to SCOW.  

Since 2005, a companion project to Wallingford STEM Enrichment Academy is the Wallingford Family Science and STEM Night Series.  At least twice a month, we organize and implement family oriented Science and STEM Family Nights in Wallingford.  These events range from evening programs, daytime vacation programs, hands-on investigations, assembly style programs, and night sky observations.  The purpose of this organization is to deepen student, and family, understanding of STEM concepts as a compliment to an existing inquiry based STEM curriculum in Wallingford.  Our major funders for both STEM Academy and Wallingford Family STEM Nights are the Wallingford Rotary Club’s Wallingford Foundation, 3M Charitable Contributions and the Connecticut Education Association. 

  

January 17, 2014

• A direct contact with students at Collège Les Gondoliers, La Roche sur Yon, France with astronaut Koichi Wakata was successful Friday, January 17th at 09:51:13 UTC 34 deg. Wakata answered 17 questions in English. His answers were later translated to French for the audience of 200 students, teachers, media and radio amateurs in the gymnasium.

For a video of the contact conducted in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDbcHY6uKEY

Local news coverage:  http://www.lejournaldupaysyonnais.fr/2014/01/17/allo-liss-ici-les-gondoliers-over/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=allo-liss-ici-les-gondoliers-over

Les Gondoliers Secondary School, with its 500 pupils -aged 11-15- is located in Vendée, 70 km south of the city of Nantes, where famous Jules Verne author was born . At the end of the last year, the pupils take an exam called "Diplôme National du Brevet". Our Astronomy Club has resumed its activities this year with the objective to enter in contact with the ISS. The starting point has been the visit of the exhibition “Voyages planétaires” (Planetary spaceflights), in Nantes, during the International Planetary Science Congress. Various astronomy and amateur radio activities will be organized, with the help of members of the association of "radioamateurs of Vendée", who will come to our school to display their activities and provide us with the tools that will be necessary to get in contact with the ISS.

January 8, 2014

The following contacts with the ISS were conducted successfully today.

• Zespół Szkół Technicznych, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland,  direct via SP3POW: Wed 2014-01-08 10:43:57 UTC 51  deg. Astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA answered all 15 of the prepared interview questions.

For a video of the full QSO, which was conducted in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ0mOqm0RZE

For local news stories about the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6tXgBqadiE and  http://www.ostrow24.tv/film/8075-ostrow-polaczyl-sie-ze-stacja-iss.html.

The Centre of Technical Schools in Ostrów Wielkopolski is a school which educates future electronics and mechatronics engineers, computer scientists and renewable energy specialists.

Our school has been cooperating with Polish universities, electronic and mechatronic industrial plants and schools in Germany and the UK, what brings very good results. Thanks to the participation in the ARISS program our school has partnered with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.

 Our students participate in various forms of extra-curricular activities which develop their passions and interests. As a result, they have created many interesting electronic and mechatronic devices. For example, some of the recent constructions include fpv plane, a qudrocopter, a stratospheric balloon capsule, some amateur radio equipment and many more.

 Currently, the school has 800 students aged 16 - 19 years.

 The Center of Technical Schools has invited its younger mates (students 13 - 15 years old) from Junior High School No. 1 named of Polish Nobel laureates in Ostrów Wielkopolski and 10 - 12 year-old students from Pope John Paul II Primary School in Lamki so that they all can participate in the ARISS program.

 Preparations for the ARISS contact began in late 2011. A series of amateur radio classes were carried out so that students could learn the rules of work on the radio. It was a very interesting experience to carry out radio communications through amateur radio satellites and to take photos from NOAA satellites. In addition, we monitored other radio signals from thespace. Most emotions were from the radio contact with the ISS in the APRS system and from listening to ARISS contacts of other schools in Poland and Europe.

The schools participating in the ARISS program organized a series of events to promote various fields of science, particularly those that are the most relevant for the development of astronautics.

 

• Istituto Tecnico Industriale "Galileo Ferraris", San Giovanni  Valdarno, Italy, direct via IQ5GX: Wed 2014-01-08  12:21:30 UTC 68 deg. Astronaut Wakata answered 19 questions by students.
  
  For a news release by the European Space Agency about the event, click here.

The Technical Institute "Galileo Ferraris" is active on the territory of the Arno Valley since 1979 and has trained over the years the engineers of the many industrial enterprises in the area.

The technical institute in fact offers a solid general education and training of scientific and technical basis necessary for both a rapid entry into the world of work and the professions and for the continuation of studies at university . In particular, enables the student to face the entrance test for the various scientific disciplines.

Branches of study offered the institute is currently divided into the following specializations:
     • Electronics and Electrical Engineering.
     • Chemistry, Materials and Biotechnology
     • Data Processing and Telecommunications

The time is for all specializations of 32 hours per week , spread over four days per week of five hours (from 8.10 am to 13.10) and two days a week for six hours (from 8.10 am to 14.10 ) .

The school is equipped with several laboratories and a large gym . Among these we have laboratories for Physics, Chemistry , Drawing- CAD, Computer Science , Electronics, Electrical Engineering , Mathematics, Technology Design and Planning, Automatic Systems , and Information Systems .

In addition, the school offers internships at companies in the area and technical projects in cooperation with such companies.

• Berkeley Middle School, Williamsburg, VA, USA, direct via K4RC: Wed 2014-01-08 18:33:50 UTC 78  deg.

Read an advance news release about the contact.
The story reported by local media: http://wydaily.com/2014/01/09/get-schooled-berkeley-middle-students-contact-the-space-station/

City County (Virginia), and it is one of three middle schools. There are thirty-six core teachers, sixteen elective teachers, a gifted and talented teacher, reading specialist, math specialist, and ten special education teachers. Additionally, there are three administrators, two school counselors, a Student Advancement Coach, and media specialist along with support staff.  The student to teacher ratio is 28:1.

Uniquely, the school is one of two located in the City of Williamsburg, serving students in the city and county.  Over the past few years, enrollment has steadily increased, which is a direct reflection of the growth within the community.  At the end of September 2013, the enrollment was 913 with an even distribution among its three grade levels (6-8). Berkeley’s student population is approximately 60 percent white, 30 percent black, and 10 percent identify as other ethnicities such as American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, etc. Nearly 30 percent of the student population receives special education services, close to 20 percent are identified as gifted and talented, and less than 5 percent identify as English Language Learners (ELL). At Berkeley, 41 percent of the students qualify for federal free or reduced lunch.

In partnership with parents and community members, Berkeley strives to foster a safe, caring and supportive learning environment that: a) knows its population, b) maintains a culture of continuous improvement, c) maximizes learning time, and d) remains focused and determined to close the achievement gap. 

December 29, 2013

A direct contact with students at Ritsumeikan Moriyama Junior High School, Moriyama, Japan was successful Sun 2013-12-29.  Nineteen students were able to ask questions and receive answers from astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA during the contact.
To a view a recording of the conversation conducted in Japanese, click here.

December 28, 2013

Direct contact with Scouting Burgemeester Welschen Meerhove, Eindhoven, The  Netherlands, via OR4ISS
was successful on Sat 2013-12-28  13:08:43 UTC 83 deg.

Scouting Meerhoven has been set up in 2003. Our first official turnout was 10 years ago during the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), Jamboree on the Internet (JOTI). During the last 10 years we have had several activities which were connected with transmitting (each year during the JOTA JOTI) and also with technology, air and space travel, as our scouts cabin is near Eindhoven airport.

Now, 10 years on, we celebrate our Jubilee. One of our Lustrum activities is the JOTA JOTI, by which we use FM frequency. For a whole weekend the scouting room has been transformed to a real radio station. The broadcasts are made by our youth and staff members.

In the framework of the Jubilee we have made a request to NASA, because as a scouting group, we really like to have radio contact with one of the astronauts from the ISS. We are very supportive of space travel and during the coming period we have a couple of activities to prepare us for a possible contact with ISS.

The Friday evening group (cubs and scouts) will visit a observatory, they will make rockets from lemonade bottles and fire them off. The room of the beavers will be transformed to a cosmos with rockets and planets. The kids will make these themselves. The Saturday group (cubs and scouts) will rebuild a ISS station. During the coming weeks our activities will all be in the light of space travel. Our aim is that the children will make their acquaintance with the JOTA JOTI (transmission) as well as space travel.

For a local news story and video about the event: http://jeugdjournaal.nl/item/591441-bellen-met-ruimtestation-iss.html


December 15, 2013

Contact with Istituto Tecnico Industriale "Galileo Ferraris", San Giovanni  Valdarno, Italy, scheduled for  Mon 2013-12-16  16:28:20 UTC 39  deg was cancelled due to EVA repair mission.


December 14, 2013

Direct contact with Tochigi Science Lion Project, Utsunomiya, Japan,  via  8N1ISS was successful: Sat 2013-12-14 07:00:34 UTC 72 deg.


December 13, 2013

Read an advance news story about student amateur radio activities at Dorothy Grant Elementary School in Fontana, CA, USA.
Students will be participating in a scheduled contact with the ISS in 2014.


December 12, 2013

Direct contact with Rakuyo Technical High School, Kyoto, Japan, direct via  8N3LR was successful: Thu 2013-12-12 08:36:53 UTC 37 deg.

November 27, 2013

Contact with Primary and Junior High Schools Complex in Stobierna, Poland, via telebridge VK5ZAI was successful: Wed 2013-11-27 09:26:13  UTC 50 deg. Welcome back to the ISS and your first Exp. 38 ARISS  contact, Koichi!

School Complex in Stobierna is composed of two main school levels: primary school and junior high school. The primary school attendants are between the ages of six and 12. The junior high school students range from 13 to 16 years old. The students of these schools are interested in astronomical observations, thus they are eager to take part in special classes concerning such issues. We organized a series of educational trips to places from which students observed the sky, including the stars, planets and satellites. These activities were integrated into daily school activities in the field of physics and astronomy. Since many schools participated in the project, we organized inter-school competitions. A series of competitions related to astronautics was also organized. For the youngest students there was a drawing contest, and the contest for the older students was a multimedia presentation related to space flight and the history of the ISS.

November 20, 2013

Contact with Salisbury Middle Schools, Salisbury, New Brunswick, Canada, telebridge via W6SRJ was successful.
For the past several months, students and staff of Salisbury Middle School have been working hard in anticipation of this wonderful opportunity.  Most obvious is how the students continue to learn and their excitement as they come together toward this common goal which they can all be proud of.  In anticipation of the actual ARISS contact, the students have asked that it be proclaimed as “A Day to Space Out”.  Activities have already begun with the official launch showcasing a video created by the students providing information regarding the event.   Also created by the students are weekly special segments featured the Schools PodCast News Show which include short space related videos, ISS News and current expedition Astronaut biographies.  The students have also enjoyed informative presentations from the Astronomical Society of New Brunswick and the Science East Planetarium . The Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club will be transmitting from SMS on November 15th, in conjunction with space related “Theme Day”. One creative student submitted an event logo which will be printed on tee-shirts and worn by students as they ask their questions.


NASA Video Reports ARISS Inspiration for US Boy Scout

Austin Walker, now a software engineer, first participated in a regional annual Boy Scout event, Space Jam, held in Rantoul, Illinois, while in high school. “This is our seventh year doing it. It’s a blast every year,” said Walker.

“Making contact with the International Space Station was one of the driving forces that helped create Space Jam,” said Walker. It was also a pivotal moment for Walker when in his third year at Space Jam he was in charge of making the initial contact with the astronaut. “I’ve always been interested in technology and science and being out in a rural setting, there’s not a lot of support,” said Walker.

Walker graduated from Princeton University after being accepted on a full scholarship and now resides in San Francisco, CA “writing software for people,” as he put it.

Walker explains his experience in a NASA video interview for its Station Inspiration Project.


November 13, 2013

Contact with Rancho Romero Elementary School, Alamo, CA, USA, direct via  KJ6TWN  was successful: Wed 2013-11-13 19:44:17 UTC 84 deg. Students were able to complete 13 questions before signal was lost.  The lead engineer was 16 year-old Rebecca Rubsamen, KJ6TWM, of Alamo, a sophomore at a local high school, who built her own VHF radio and the two large antennas in her backyard with the help of her father Reid Rubsamen, who is also an amateur radio enthusiast.

Read stories reported in the local press:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24517766/headline
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24517762/headline

November 11, 2013

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP, returned to Earth, November 11, 2013 along with Russian commander, Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronaut, Karen Nyberg. They landed in the Kazakhstan steppe at 02:49 GMT (03:49 CEWT), in the same Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft that flew them to the International Space Station on May 29th.

Parmitano spent five months on the International Space Station for his VOLARE mission under a bilateral agreement with the Italian space agency and NASA. He conducted more than 30 scientific experiments, performed two spacewalks and operational tasks as well as maintaining the orbital outpost.

Parmitano has proven to be an enthusiastic and passionate radio amateur with great availability for ARISS school contacts. When all questions prepared by the students could not be answered during the scheduled pass, Luca used to come back whenever possible to continue the space talk on the following orbit.In terms of ARISS school contacts performed during a single expedition, Parmitano is 4th in ranking of the ISS astronauts.

Parmitano expressed his feelings regarding amateur radio in a message entitled "Message in a Bottle", published on the ESA blog. Parmitano went beyond his mandate as ISS crew member and Ham operator for ARISS school contacts, performing many random contacts with hams on Earth. Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF, served as manager for the IR0ISS logbook, collecting reports from the ISS for most of the random contacts, totaling 231 QSOs.

Our thanks to Luca Parmitano who did the effort to log the QSOs and to forward the log to Earth for almost all random contacts.

All details about IR0ISS random contacts during the "Volare" mission are available at:
https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?DBID=412218000000293001

November 4, 2013

The telebridge contact with Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, NY, USA via IK1SLD on Nov. 4 was successful. Signals sounded good most of the way through the contact.  All 14 questions were answered by astronaut, Luca Parmitano, K5FKDP.

The direct contact with astronaut Parmitano and students at Warren County Technical School, Washington, NJ, USA was also successful Monday, Nov. 4.


NASA Interview with ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer KA3HDO

As part of the AMSAT celebration of 30 years of Amateur Radio traveling to space on manned space flight, ARISS Chairman, Frank Bauer KA3HDO was interviewed at NASA Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center.  Listen to the interview.

September 20, 2013

HamTV Bulletin 3
Gaston Bertels – ON4WF
ARISS-Europe Chairman

Ham Video Campaign 2013

The ARISS DATV transmitter, dubbed « Ham Video », already onboard the International Space Station, will soon be installed in the Columbus module and commissioned.

Commissioning will be done in several steps, each during a full pass of the ISS over the Matera ground station (see Bulletin 2). It is not yet known if these passes will be chosen in close succession, or if they will cover several weeks. ARISS proposes ESA to operate so called “blank” transmissions during the commissioning period. If this is accepted, it means that Ham Video will transmit permanently without camera. The camera will not be used because it is fed on batteries and servicing it would need prohibitive crew time. Transmitting recordings is part of a future project, but not available presently.

Although ground stations will receive a black image without audio, “blank” transmissions contain all information needed for the setting up and the fine tuning of the station. Moreover, collected data will be used for a performance study of the ARISS L/S-band antennas as well as for an evaluation of the global system.

For this launch campaign, ARISS addresses a call for collaboration to the amateur radio community, especially to the operators interested in space communications. Several satellite operators have shown interest.

Ham Video technical characteristics are available at www.ariss-eu.org  . Look for the “Ham Video” link in the left sidebar. Suggestions and useful addresses  for the setting up of a Ham Video ground station are also provided.

Among the components of  a satellite ground station, the antenna system is the most expensive. High gain antennas are needed, moved by azimuth and elevation motors and driven by an appropriate computer program. For Ham Video reception, a 1.2m dish with precision tracking is recommended. A station compliant with the recommendations provided in the aforementioned reference text should be capable of 3 to 4 minutes of DATV reception during a pass of the ISS. AO-40 operators who still have an S-band dish can now use it for Ham Video.

On the other hand, interesting data can be gathered by stations with a much simpler setup. A dish with a self made helix feed could be used without motors. This antenna could be positioned in a fixed direction, determined before a pass of the ISS, pointing to the position of the ISS at closest approach, which corresponds to the maximum elevation of the space station during the pass. With the setup as described hereunder, 1 to 2 minutes of solid reception of the Ham Video signal should be possible.

Call for participation to the Ham Video launch campaign

ARISS addresses a call to amateur radio experimenters who would like to participate to the Ham Video launch campaign.

Data gathering during the initial “blank” transmissions is important and the help of volunteering operators will be most appreciated. More details to follow.

It is to be noted that builders of the hereunder proposed “Simple Station” could later update their equipment and add tracking motors. Chained stations will be needed for ARISS Ham TV school contacts. Video and audio from the ISS will be web streamed to the schools over the Internet.

We will keep you informed of these developments. For the time being, as a starter, let us concentrate on receiving “blank” transmissions.

September 19, 2013

Contact with Istituto Comprensivo Statale “E. Fermi – A. Oggioni”, Villasanta, Italy, was successful.  ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano answered 15 questions and listened to the greetings from the school administrator before LOS.


To watch a video of this event click here.

September 10, 2013

HamTV Bulletin 2
Gaston Bertels – ON4WF
ARISS-Europe Chairman

Ham Video - EST and Simulations

Ham Video Commissioning preparation is progressing. An EST (Experiment Sequence Test) has been performed 28-29 August and Simulations tests were done 5-6 September 2013.

The EST consisted of a series of tests, mainly of the ground segment. For the Commissioning, the VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) station of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), located near Matera, southern Italy, will be used for receiving the DATV signals from the ISS. For the EST, the IK1SLD ground station, situated at Casale Monferrato, northern Italy was used. IK1SLD is one of the ARISS telebridge stations, fully equiped for VHF and UHF. It was recently upgraded for S-band with a 1.2m dish, feed, downconverter and precision tracking motors.

For the EST, a very low power transmitter, installed in the shack, generated signals on the Ham Video frequencies, transmitting a DATV recording at 1.3 and 2.0 MS/s and FEC ½. The DATV signal was received and decoded by the IK1SLD station and webstreamed to the BATC server.

B.USOC (Belgian User Support and Operations Center – ESA) conducted operations. B.USOC and EAC (European Astronaut Center – Cologne, Germany) specialists operated from Livorno at Kayser Itallia's laboratory, where a Ham Video unit, the so-called EBB (Elegant BreadBox), is operational. Parties involved were interconnected per teleconference. At Casale Monferrato, Claudio Ariotti IK1SLD and Piero Tognolatti I0KPT produced, received and webstreamed the signals in the different configurations as requested by B.USOC. ESA and ARISS observers participated to the EST teleconference. After debriefing, the EST was declared successful.

Simulations were done differently. B.USOC supervised from their offices in Brussels and ARISS responsibles Piero Tognolatti I0KPT and Jean Pierre Courjaud F6DZP operated from home. The simulations were done in the Columbus mockup at EAC, where a non operational Ham Video model is installed. This box is used for astronaut training on Ham Video. A KuPS power supply was also used, as well as a camera similar to the one onboard Columbus in space. Ham Video transmissions were simulated in the different configurations (frequencies and symbol rates). A view of operations in the Columbus mockup was webstreamed to the participants. ARISS operators simulated reception as if thery were at the Matera ground station, taking into account expected timing between AOS and LOS. They signaled AOS and requested “crew“ at EAC to transmit in different configurations, according a pre-determined scenario. At LOS, the test stopped and results were commented.

Four “passes” were simulated this way, using both ARISS antennas. An important goal of the simulations was to check the efficiency of communications between ground and “crew”. Commands were initiated by ARISS operators (supposedly from Matera), received at B.USOC, relayed to the Columbus Control Center at Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich and uplinked to “crew” by EUROCOM. The European ISS Control Center is called Col-CC and its spacecraft communicator's call sign is EUROCOM. The Simulations were conducted successfully and lessons were learned for gaining time on transmitting commands. This is important considering the limited 8 minutes contact time during real Commissioning.

ARISS proposed to use our VHF uplink capabilities to “crew” for the Commissioning. This was not acceptable with regard to ESA's commissioning protocol.

Presently, ISS pass predictions for Matera are computed for several weeks starting mid October, The Matera VLBI activities are to be taken into account for determining usable passes. Four passes will be needed to fullfil the Commissioning requirements.

Ham Video Commissioning activities will be decided by ESA and NASA ISS Operations. Hopefully the Commissioning will be planned during Expedition 37. We will keep you informed.

August 21, 2013 

HamTV Bulletin 1
Gaston Bertels – ON4WF
ARISS-Europe Chairman

Ham Video Transmitter On Board Columbus

How a DATV transmitter on S-band is being added to the ARISS equipment onboard the International Space Station has been related in an announcement recently circulated and available at www.ariss-eu.org/HamVideo.pdf.

The ARISS Ham Video transmitter is presently onboard Columbus. The transmitter was delivered by Japanese cargo spacecraft HTV-4, which launched August 4 and docked 5 days later.

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano IR0ISS reported that the bags are stored in Columbus. There are two bags: one for the transmitter, the other for the power, camera and antenna cables.

Installation will be done by US astronaut Michael Hopkins KF5LJG who has been trained for the commissioning of the Ham Video equipment.The commissioning is planned later in the year, possibly end October when there are favourable passes over Italy. Indeed, the tests transmissions for the commissioning of the onboard equipment will be received by the ground station of the “Centro di Geodesia Spaziale” of the Italian Space Agency, located in Matera, Southern Italy.

We will report in due time on the commissioning procedure which will involve a series of tests to be performed during 3 or 4 ISS passes. Possibly, the Ham Video transmitter will transmit continuously between the commissioning steps offering amateur ground stations the opportunity to test and tune their receiving equipment. The transmissions will be performed in automatic mode, without requiring crew time. The camera, which runs on a battery, will not be used and the ground stations will receive a black image.

Meanwhile, commissioning is being prepared steadily. The kick-off meeting took place November 2012 at ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre, located in Noordwijk the Netherlands.  Detailed procedures are examined and finalized during weekly ESA/ARISS teleconferences. A preliminary EST (Experiment Sequence Test) is planned 28-29 August. The test will involve the ARISS ground station IK1SLD, located in Casale Monferrato in Northern Italy.

IK1SLD, which is an ARISS telebridge station often used for educational ARISS school contacts on VHF, has been upgraded for S-band reception. Ham Video manufacturer Kayser Italia has delivered a 1.2 meter dish, a down converter and precision tracking motors, which are part of the ESA funded equipment. For the EST, the station will receive a DATV signal from a local low power S-band test transmitter. The decoded signal will be webstreamed to the BATC server. The British Amateur Television Club offers ARISS free access to their server. ESA examiners will connect to the BATC server and evaluate the reception. Test transmissions at IK1SLD will cover the different frequencies and symbol rates available on the Ham Video transmitter.

Web streaming will take advantage of the special software developed by Jean Pierre Courjaud, F6DZP. References are available in the HamVideo.pdf.

When the Ham Video transmitter will become operational, it will be used for ARISS educational school contacts. Video will be for downlink only. Uplink will be VHF FM audio. The Ericsson transceiver onboard Columbus will be used for reception onboard. This cross band and double mode operation is called Ham TV. Ham Video is the name of the DATV transmitter.


August 13, 2013

Astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP discovers the magic of Amateur Radio during a "blind time" on the ISS.  Read his blog entry describing his experience.

For a Polish translation, click here.

An ARRL news story features Parmitano's experience.

July 6, 2013

Successful contact for Associazione Intercultura ONLUS in Frascati Italy.   Luca Parmitano KF5KDP answered all 14 questions from the students and listened to greetings and applause from Frascati.  Signal was loud and clear for almost the entire contact, AOS was at 17.02 UTC.

Congratulations to IK0WGF team in Frascati coordinating the event and to telebridge station W6SRJ in Santa Rosa California. As usual we had also John Spasojevitch AG9D doing the forward on Echolink and IRLP network.

Here the web story prepared by ESA for ARISS event in Frascati.
http://www.esa.int/ita/ESA_in_your_country/Italy/Intercultura_vola_alto_e_si_collega_con_Luca_Parmitano

If you want to see the video of the event is here (star contact to 47'):
http://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia/video?clipId=pla_01fbed9b-1c63-43d4-b2db-1f7205033104&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

Intercultura published another video of the event here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSukI6FpEkA

Great coverage by National Media:
http://tg.la7.it/scienza_e_tecnologia/video-i726946
http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/tg5/full/398065/edizione-ore-13-00-del-7-luglio.html

Latest School Contact
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was made in Liceo Linguistico and Scuola Media Basel in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday, November 29 at 13:37 UTC via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. The contact complemented lesson plans covering space and space exploration.

 Italian Students Host ARISS Contact
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Kevin Ford, KF5GPP and students attending Liceo scientifico Giacinto De Sivo – Fondazione Villaggio dei Ragazzi in Maddaloni, Italy on Tuesday, November 20 via telebridge station IK1SLD in Italy. Over 300 students listened as the ISS astronaut fielded 15 questions posed by the youth. Ford requested a switch to the backup channel half way through the contact due to some interference, but the contact continued on nominally after the switch. The event was webcast by AMSAT Italia and received good media coverage. The contact was integrated into lessons covering the developments in astronomy from a scientific, philosophical and literary point of view.

Three Hams Return to Earth
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted an article about ISS Expedition 32/33 crewmembers Sunita Williams, Yuri Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide returning to Earth after completing their mission, which included speaking with school children around the world: “Three Hams Return to Earth from ISS.”