ARISS News Release                                                                No.21-19
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, California, USA
 
March 20, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students from Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, CA. Students will take turns asking their questions of ISS Astronaut Shannon Walker, amateur radio call sign KD5DXB, during the ARISS radio contact. English is the language that will be used during the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz.  
 
The ARISS team in Casale Monferrato, Italy will use call sign IK1SLD to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. Each student asking a question on the ARISS radio will be conferenced in from home or social-distanced at school.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for March 22, 2021 at 11:27 am PDT (Morgan Hill, CA) (18:27 UTC, 2:27 pm EDT, 1:27 pm CDT, 12:27 pm MDT).
 
Oakwood School is a nonprofit, private, rural/suburban school (about 500 students, preschool – 12th grade) serving the community of Morgan Hill. The school’s STEM curriculum includes lab science in kindergarten and college prep courses for middle and high school students and extracurricular activities in STEM-related subjects (robotics and astronomy). During the past school year, in preparation for the ARISS contact, the school instituted a Year in Space Program for all grades. The class curriculum included new STEM courses that focused on space-related studies as well as enhancements to the existing STEM courses. This year-long program benefited from a number of volunteers from the space industry who provided class presentations and student activities in the fields of: radio communication (amateur radio and radio astronomy), astronomy, computer science, engineering, and robotics. High school students from the Astronomy Club will assist amateur radio operator volunteers in integration and testing of the ARISS contact’s backup radio station, and will help in setup of the ground station. In addition to incorporating amateur-related ideas into after-school STEM programs, the school’s amateur radio volunteer, who advises the school amateur radio and astronomy clubs, hosted ham radio testing for middle and elementary grade students.   
 
View the live stream of this ARISS radio contact at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg8ni7Gq6Z0.
_______________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1.  What is your favorite place on the ISS?
2. Are you currently conducting any experiments yourself?
3. What was your favorite part of Astronaut training?
4.  What advice do you have for a 6-year-old that wants to be an astronaut?
5.  What is the hardest thing you have had to do in space?
6.  Is the coronavirus on the ISS and do you need to wear masks?
7.  Do you and your crew mates play games in space?
8. Can you still do your favorite Earth hobbies on the ISS?
9. Are your astronaut outfits customizable (like can you make them different colors)?
10. What happens if there is a medical emergency on the ISS?
11. Who was your role model growing up and how have they helped you succeed in becoming an astronaut?
12. How do you communicate with all the astronauts that come from different countries?
13.  Who is your favorite Avenger/superhero and why?
14. What is the object you miss the most that is on planet Earth?
15. What was the hardest part of the training, and did you think you were going to pass?
16. Do the constellations from the space station look different from how they do on Earth?
17. We've noticed you use a lot of towels-- what if you run out of towels?
18. Although zero-gravity sounds fun at first, does it get “old” after a while?
19. If you were given the chance, would you like to be the first person to mars?
20. How do you stay connected with your family on Earth while in space and how long do you get to talk or see them?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                              
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.

ARISS News Release                                                                            No.   21-18  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at Goodwood Primary School
in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
 
March 15, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. English is the language that will be used for this contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ.
 
ARISS team member David Payne, using call sign NA7V in Portland, OR will serve as the relay amateur radio station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for March 17, 2021 at 7:02 pm ACDT (Adelaide), (08:32 UTC, 4:32 am EDT, 3:32 am CDT, 2:32 am MDT and 1:32 am PDT).
 
Goodwood Primary School has a student population of 490 students in the main school (Preschool through Year 7). Teachers used the ARISS contact event as a focus in the development of a curriculum and learning activities. The key themes were: Science and Technology in space (including the use of telecommunication equipment on the ISS, such as ham radio) and Human Cohabitation in Space (with specific focus on the ISS). Another theme was Earth and Space Sciences (including modeling Earth’s solar system and studying the country’s aboriginal understanding of the night sky and its use for timekeeping through their oral cultural records, petroglyphs, paintings and stone arrangements).
_____________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. What inspired you to become an astronaut?
2. How do you stay fit and exercise in space because it is easier to do things up there?
3. What was one of your favourite experiences that you had going into space?
4. What are some of the tasks astronauts have to complete in space and on the International Space Station?
5. What is the biggest thing you have to conquer when in space and why is it so challenging?
6. What was the most unexpected thing you felt in your body when you traveled into space?
7. Do you think there is another planet that humans can live on besides Earth?
8. When a supply ship is dropping off supplies, how do they align and slow down the ship for docking?
9. If you could take only one thing to the space station what would it be?
10. What research are you doing up there and how does it benefit mankind?
11. How long do you get to stay in the space station each time?
12. What diets are you on and what can you eat?
13. Do you have any quotes or messages to give our generation today?
14. After returning back to Earth, how would an astronaut physically and mentally feel?
15. What does an average day in the space station look like and what do you enjoy about it?
16. What do you think you’ll miss the most about space when you leave the International Space Station?
17. Is there an exercise program you have to follow in order to help you recover when returning to Earth?
18. How exactly do air locks stop all the air from escaping?
19. What is your favourite thing to do in zero gravity on the space station?
20. What is the future of the International Space Station and are you going to build anything?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                              
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.

ARISS Columbus Radio System Once Again Operational!

March 14, 2021—The ARISS Columbus Radio is back on-the-air!  This, after it was rendered non-operational following a January 27 EVA (spacewalk) which was conducted to install a cable for the Bartolomeo commercial platform.  During the January 27 spacewalk, the Bartolomeo HMU-601 cable, described in the March 10 ARISS Press conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hm4h4rBE9k&t=2214s), was installed in series with the ARISS antenna cable (HMU-895). 

As part of a spacewalk conducted yesterday, March 13, Astronaut Michael Hopkins successfully completed the installation of three PAPOS connectors for the new Bartolomeo platform on the Columbus Module. After this task, Hopkins started the ARISS task.  He moved to the opposite side of Columbus, where he removed the HMU-601 cable from the APCU J02 connector and reinstalled the ARISS antenna cable (HMU-895) connector back into the APCU J02 connector.  This returned the ARISS system back to its pre-January 27 configuration. 

At around 1200 UTC today, the astronauts turned on the ARISS radio system in Columbus.  It was placed in PM3, or Packet Mode.  PM3 employs a downlink frequency of 145.825 MHz.  Shortly after radio startup, APRS signals were heard in California, Utah, and Idaho as the ISS passed along the USA West Coast.  ARISS Team member, Christy Hunter, KB6LTY, confirmed she digipeated through the ARISS radio system, NA1SS, during this pass.  With confirmation from additional stations in South America and the Middle East, the ARISS team has declared the radio system again operational.

On behalf of the ARISS International Team, our heartfelt thanks to all that helped ARISS work through the cable anomaly investigation, troubleshooting and ultimate repair.  Special shout-outs go to the ISS crew, the operations and engineering teams at NASA, ESA and Airbus, and ARISS-Russia leader Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, whose quick actions allowed ARISS to maintain our school contact operations via the ARISS Service Module radio system. Our deepest appreciation also goes out to the ARISS International hardware and operations teams that worked so diligently to analyze, troubleshoot, develop operations procedures, move school contact operations, and inform the team and the public.
   
The ARISS team would also like to congratulate the ESA/Airbus Bartolomeo team!  With the successful installation of 3 of the PAPOS connectors, as part of yesterday’s spacewalk, Bartolomeo is now operational! 

Yesterday was a great day for all!
 
Ad Astra!

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
ARISS International Chair
Executive Director, ARISS-USA

ARISS News Release                                                                               No.   21-16   
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact is Scheduled for
Students at Avoca State School, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
 
March 9, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students at Avoca State School, Bundaberg, Australia, and Astronaut Mike Hopkins, amateur radio call sign KF5LJG. Students will take turns asking their questions. English is the language expected to be used during the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ.
 
Amateur radio operators, using the Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club (BARC) call sign, VK4BW and the club’s equipment, will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for March 11, 2021 at 5:56 pm AEST (Bundaberg, Australia), (07:56 UTC, 2:56 am EST, 1:56 am CST, 12:56 am MST and March 10, 11:56 pm PST).
 
Avoca State School (about 300 students) is a member of the West Bundaberg Cluster of schools serving communities in nearby Avoca, Millbank, Branyan and the surrounding rural/residential areas. Prior to this ARISS contact, students’ science curriculum contained a course of study on rocket propulsion. Student activities included model rocket construction and launching of these models using a pneumatic energy source. The school has partnered with members of BARC who will be key in assisting the students with this ARISS contact. In recent years, the BARC invited young people to participate in a high-altitude balloon launch carrying an amateur radio repeater enabling contacts between hams throughout Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
 

As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. Have any experiments in the ISS produced evidence of other life forms in space?
2. How long is a typical mission on the ISS?
3. How long did you have to train to become an astronaut?
4. When people built the ISS, how did they send it up into space?
5. Why don’t meteors hit the space station?
6. What is your favourite thing about being an astronaut?
7. If you could make a time capsule to represent your stay on the ISS, what would you put in it?
8. Would walking on the moon be the same as space walking outside of the ISS?
9. Once you return to Earth, what process do you have to follow?
10. How do you get oxygen to breathe in the Space Station?
11. Why is the Space Station split into different sections for different nations?
12. What do you struggle with most on the Space Station?
13. What do you do for recreation in your spare time on the ISS?
14. What types of experiments are you currently running and how does zero gravity affect them?
15. What kind of food do you eat in space?
16. How many people can be in the Space Station at the one time?
17. What is your main job on the International Space Station?
18. What job would you have if you weren’t an astronaut?
19. Do astronauts play pranks on each other and what’s the best prank you’ve seen or done?
20. What is your favourite thing to look at on Earth from the International Space Station?
21. How long from take-off does it take to reach the International Space Station?
22. Do you need more sleep-in space than you do on Earth?
23. The space station is exposed to extreme heat and cold. How is the temperature regulated?
24. How have Science experiments on the space station affected life back on Earth?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                               
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.