June 14-15: ARISS leaders Frank Bauer and Marty Schulman and ARISS volunteer Alan Johnston mentored ARISS’ new NASA interns at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Undergrads Nitin Vegesna and Ashish Dhanalakota and high school student Unsh Rawal received indoctrination introducing them to ARISS, communications, wireless radio, and two of ARISS’ new education programs. But the colossal hit was when they got to speak with Kjell Lindgren on the ISS using the ARISS radio system! It happened while they toured the ARISS radio ground station at GSFC. As each young man spoke with Kjell, they said, “I’m a NASA intern!” The students will be working on tasks tied to two ARISS education programs, STEREO (Student and Teacher Education via Radio Experimentation and Operations) and ARISS *STAR* (Space Telerobotics using Amateur Radio). The interns had already taken part in a June 2 kick-off telecon.
 
June 14: Istituto Tecnico Industrile Alessandro Rossi (ITIS) in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy had invited two schools—Don Bosco Comprehensive Institute in Monticello Conte Otto and Antonio Barolini Comprehensive Institute in Vicenza—to take part in an ARISS contact and a variety of STEM activities. Samantha Cristoforetti supported the ARISS contact and answered 15 student questions. 143 people were on hand with the live stream garnering 250 views. Three days later, 2,581 people had viewed a YouTube recording of the contact. Reporters from a TV station and some newspaper services provided coverage. ITIS was founded in order to import the model of German technical schools to Italy for students age 14 to 19. The curriculum covers electrical technology, computer science, telecommunications, mechanics, artificial intelligence, introductory robotics and chemistry. The telecommunications students, supported by an area company, built the radio antenna for this ARISS contact.   
 
June 13-17: The Eaton (CO) Public Library partnered with area school students when planning to host its upcoming ARISS contact. This summer, library programs included their “Space Storytime” and star shows. A week-long Space Camp was put on, featuring hands-on STEM activities that engaged kids in space, communications, and radio topics, and they learned about the ISS and astronauts on board. The Eaton Library team conducted with students a full-dress rehearsal of their ARISS contact with ARISS Technical Mentor Fred Kemmerer. He wrote: “The kids and parents are showing high excitement and interest as they anticipate their upcoming ARISS contact.”
 
June 24 -26: Drawing worldwide amateur radio operators and enthusiasts, Ham Radio, a conference in Friedrichshafen, Germany is back after two years of COVID restrictions. This is one of the largest amateur radio events in the world. The ARISS-Europe team will staff an ARISS booth and present forums; details will be in next week’s report.
 
June 6: The online space news group, SPACEREF, ran the NASA Space Station Status Report, which included a paragraph on an ARISS contact supported by Samantha Cristoforetti.  The posting, about the Scuola media S.Pietro in Sardegna, Italy, reported some questions students asked—about solar systems and life forms and if the crew would like to live or visit other planets. The report cited ARISS’ mission of providing amateur radio opportunities with astronauts to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and members of the community.
 
June 11-12: ARRL-ARISS Committee Chair Mark Tharp set up an ARISS exhibit at the Apple City Amateur Radio Club Hamfest held in East Wenatchee, WA.  The display area showcased an ARISS roll-up and handouts for 109 of the ham radio operators to see.      
 
ARISS Upcoming Events 
 
June 22: Eaton Public Library, Eaton CO  ARISS contact, ARISS-US team
June 24-25 Ham Radio, Friedrichshafen Germany  ARISS exhibit/talks, ARISS-Europe team

June 4: Boy and girl scouts of BSA Matinecock District in Suffolk County in Medford, NY took part in an ARISS radio contact with Kjell Lindgren who answered 18 questions. A reported 395 people, including the media, attended the event. 70 people watched two live streams, and a week later, 311 people had viewed the recording.  The URL is (begin at 41:42): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4epvt4cGtc. The scouts had done Radio Merit Badge activities and learned about radio communications, launched rockets, and examined Moon rocks. They participated in a STEM Fair sponsored by Camp Upton Army-Brookhaven National Lab, which included First Robotics activities.
 
June 2: The Moscow Autonomous Education Institution at Lyceum-Engineering Center in Kazan, Russia hosted an ARISS contact for students. Cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov supported the activity and the ARISS-Russia team set up the radio station for it.  
 
June 6: Students at Scuola Media S.Pietro, Nuoro in Sardegna, Italy spoke with Samantha Cristoforetti with 200 people watching; she handled 11 questions. The event was live streamed and a few days later the recording had 311 views. The school partnered with Nuorese Astronomical Association that had students utilizing its digital planetarium facilities. Students studied older and new data weather recordings from probes launched to 100,000 feet monitoring Earth’s stratosphere--helping students see some climate change. They studied the solar cycle, Earth’s electromagnetic field, radio communications, and learned about ISS research being conducted.
 
June 6: Students at Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Moscow, Russia had an ARISS contact with Denis Matveet that was reported to be successful. The youth learned about the ARISS program and how the radio contacts are performed.    
 
June 4: Students at the Istituto Comprensivo Losapio-S.F. Neri in Gioia del Colle in Puglia, Italy shared an ARISS session with Samantha Cristoforetti; she answered 20 questions. An audience of 80 people came and Radio Norba TV covered the event. The contact was live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfI6IhajshGME8jZTdjBrA (begin at 52:12).  In a week’s time, 1,220 had viewed the recording. The primary-secondary school of 1435 students recently partnered with Cittadella Mediterranea della Scienza and Gioia del Colle Air Force base. Students took field trips to both and learned about space-related communication, radio communication, and radio equipment.
 
June 8: ARISS volunteer David Jordan, AA4KN presented the ARISS program to 21 members of the Sun City Center Amateur Radio Club (SCCARC) in Sun City Center, FL.  David shared ARISS’ historical accomplishments that reveal to students the possibilities of STEM careers. He covered ARISS’ new educational initiatives and invited attendees to become ARISS volunteers. Sun City Center is a retirement area near Ruskin and one of their activities for residents is the ham club, which is well-recognized for recreation and support during storm season.
 
June 4-5: ARRL-ARISS Committee Chair Mark Tharp set up an ARISS exhibit at the entryway to the floor of the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention held in Seaside, OR for 2,000 ham radio operators to view walking in and out.  At the ARRL Forum (120 attendees), Mark reminded people to stop at the exhibit to read the materials and pick up a flyer. ARRL staffer Bob Inderbitzen also had a portion of the forum, and he discussed ARISS and its tie to youth STEM and radio activities.      
 
June 8-9: A Moscow Aviation Institute MAI-75 SSTV (picture downlink) event was held for space enthusiasts, students, educators, members of the public, and amateur radio operators. Cosmonauts downlinked the images. Thus far, 143 were posted at the ARISS SSTV Gallery (https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/) by 80 people for the public to view.  
 
 
ARISS Upcoming Events 
 
June 14 Istituto Tecnico Industrile Allesandro Rossi, Veneto Italy ARISS contact, ARISS-Europe team

May 31: Old St. Mary's School (OSM) students in Chicago, IL connected with Bob Hines via an ARISS radio contact. He replied to 12 students’ questions. Time remained before loss of signal over the horizon, so 2 teachers related 3 questions other students had asked during STEM studies. 500 students and faculty in classrooms watched the livestream, which was offered on two platforms. Before the contact, a teacher explained how the radio link would work and showed two short ARISS videos. An OSM teacher had attended Microgravity University for Educators at Johnson Space Center in 2017 and learned about ARISS; in 2021 she submitted an ARISS Education Proposal. OSM partners with the Museum of Science and Industry’s Science Leadership School Partners Program. It provided a framework that inspired teachers to enhance science curriculum and whole-school projects like the ARISS contact, and also widen communications with families and area stakeholders.
 
May 28: The Mindshub Association partnered with the Istituto Comprensivo Avio in Trento, Italy (337 students) to host an ARISS contact with Samantha Cristoforetti who answered 21 questions. 128 students and faculty watched the livestream; a week later another 160 people had viewed the recording. Mindshub was founded to create a "2.0 laboratory" for secondary, high school, and college students to experiment in electronics, 3-D printing, robotics, and information technology.  Mindshub volunteers sponsored STEAM-related activities and workshops on astronomical observing and model rocket building based on youths’ study of the Vega rocket. Students took part in the Problem Solving Olympics where they used computational thinking.
 
May 28: Youth involved in activities at the Voskresensky Children’s Center in the city of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia participated in an ARISS radio contact.  Cosmonaut Denis Matveev supported the activity and the ARISS-Russia team set up the radio station for it.  
 
May 27:  A big group of students from Ben Davis Aerospace Technical High School (DATHS) in Detroit, MI enjoyed a bus trip to the 2022 annual fly-in at Coleman Young International Airport. They got up close to aircraft from the Selfridge Air National Guard and the Coast Guard. Members of the Hazel Park Amateur Radio Club set up a demonstration ham radio station for students to try out amateur radio contacts and engage with the ARISS radio.  DATHS students look forward to an ARISS contact in the second half of 2022.
 
June 1: ARISS Director of Education Kathy Lamont and ARISS Technical Mentor Fred Kemmerer along with Frank Bauer led an ARISS Orientation Webinar with 28 attendees. This webinar focused on next steps for the nine newest educational institutions selected to host ARISS radio contacts. The educators and informal educators will plan when to move forward with their education plans and have ARISS Technical Mentors assigned who will give assistance with equipment plans. The ARISS radio contacts would be scheduled between January and June 2023.  
 
May 26: An ARISS InterOperable Radio System was installed in the Service Module by cosmonauts after Russia had launched it recently to the ISS.  The additional radio system, identical to the system in the Columbus Module, allows for more onboard amateur radio capabilities. While one radio system is in use by crew members to support ARISS radio contacts for students at educational institutions, the other system can be engaged with by individuals on the ground making ARISS cross band repeater or automatic packet reporting system (APRS) radio contacts.
 
May 29: Students and employees of SWGU in Kursk, Russia took part in an ARISS radio contact after learning about the ARISS program and how the radio contacts are performed. Oleg Artemyev used the newly installed ARISS radio system to speak with participants.  
 
May 31: The Amur State University in Blagoveshchensk, Russia hosted an ARISS contact for students who have participated in the Gagarin from Space program. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev supported the radio contact.  
 
May-June:  ARISS contacts took place recently at these locations; more details will be available in time for next week’s report:

• June 2: Moscow Autonomous Education Inst. at Lyceum-Engineering Ctr., Kazan, Russia
  
• June 4: Istituto Comprensivo Losapio-SF Neri, Gioia del Colle, Puglia, Italy
• June 4: Matinecock District, Suffolk County Boy Scouts, Medford, NY 

 
 
ARISS Social Media
 
May 2022 Top ARISS Facebook Reach:  a poster a school made for a Cristoforetti ARISS contact
 
May 2022 Top Tweet – 3.4K impressions for a post about the next 9 ARISS schools
 
As of May 31, 2022, slight gains were made over April on each ARISS social media platform; total followers were:  

• ARISS Twitter—16,703
• ARISS Facebook—7,563
• ARISS Instagram—423
• ARISS YouTube—1.67K

May 2022 Facebook

ARISS Upcoming Events 
 
June 6: Scuola Media S.Pietro, Nuoro, Sardegna, Italy  ARISS contact, ARISS-Europe team
June 6 Bauman Moscow State Technical U., Moscow, Russia  ARISS contact, ARISS-Russia team