International Space Station
This Friday morning, August 31, you should be able to receive the International Space Station using either a handheld with 1/4 wave whip or a scanner with an external discone antenna.
International Space Station
Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI used amateur radio to speak to Scouts at Space Jam 6 in Rantoul, Illinois.
Space Jam 6 at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul, Illinois, USA – Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI Sunday, August 5, 2012. Station WB9SA in Illinois, USA will call NA1SS at approximately 10:06 UT.
In the July 17 ARISS meeting Kenneth Ransom N5VHO reported that his group is in the final stages of preparing the certification for flight of the replacement hardware for the degraded Ericsson VHF [145 MHz] radio.
The Ericsson rig is part of the second ISS amateur radio station that is located in the Columbus module.
The team had hoped for a launch of the equipment on flight 33-S [Dec. 5], but it may be launched on flight 49-P [Nov. 1], which is a month sooner than 33-S. The team is endeavoring to finish the certification in time for this earlier flight option. The degraded Ericsson VHF radio may be returned on flight 32-S in October. The team is very interested in trying to determine what the problem has been with this radio.
Read the minutes of the July 17 ARISS meeting at http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2012-07-17.htm
The minutes of the ARISS International Monthly Teleconference for June 19 carry this report on the status of the amateur radio equipment for the ISS Columbus module.
Kenneth [N5VHO] reported that an onboard power issue somewhat impacted ARISS radio operations. The air purifier for the ATV [Automated Transfer Vehicle] has needed to be plugged in, recently, in the Service Module (SM). The ARISS radio in the SM was turned off while the purifier was being used. The radio is turned on by the crew for school contacts and when the crew gets on the air for random contacts, as Astronaut Kuipers has done in the past few weeks. The ATV will be docked at the ISS until late September.
Gaston [ON4WF] said the HamTV project is progressing. There have been discussions with ESA about the possibility of adding extra units to the HamTV transmitter that is being developed by Kaiser Italia. This is acceptable in as far as the KI unit under construction does not need to be modified.
A so called “Video Beacon” will be added externally to the HamTV unit. This beacon will allow automated DATV transmissions more or less permanently. The content of these DATV transmissions will be uploaded from the ground through existing channels and transferred to the Video Beacon on request. This function will also be used for educational purposes. Moreover, astronauts could record footage and load it into the Video Beacon for automated transmission.
Another additional unit will be a CW beacon transmitter delivering a small band low power signal (100 mW) on a frequency nearby the HamTV frequency. This beacon will transmit permanently and use the second ARISS L/S-band antenna. This offers ground stations signal reception with large S/N margins, facilitating antenna tracking and signal acquisition, especially at the beginning of a pass. The CW Beacon will transmit telegraphy signals, alternating its identification (call sign), a continuous carrier and possibly some telemetry comprizing onboard parameters (temperature, pressure, humidity, ambient sound level, etc.).
Lou W5DID suggested that we may be able to power it from the packet module already on the ISS, making it simple to operate.
ESA is being asked to address the cost of the Safety Package and testing such as EMI tests and outgassing tests for these additional units, but development and manufacturing will be supported by ARISS. A cost estimate is being developed for our team to build the units. A funding campaign will be set up to collect donations to cover the cost.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) http://ariss.rac.ca/
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First US Woman Astronuat Sally Ride on STS-7 - Image Credit NASA
The Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars (WISH) project is sponsoring two six-day summer camps for rising high school seniors that should feature a presentation by astronaut Shannon Walker KD5DXB and an Amateur Radio contact with the International Space Station (ISS).
Eighty-four female high school students from 29 states will plan a simulated mission to Mars and experience life as an engineer or scientist when NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts two events focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in June and July.
Shannon Walker KD5DXB - Image Credit NASA
The young women will work in teams with female NASA mentors to develop mission plans for launching to Mars, living and working there, and integrating the many components necessary for a successful planetary mission. They will work within the confines of a fictitious budget and build several small mockups of vehicles to demonstrate a successful launch and landing of the Mars spacecraft.
“WISH gives some of our brightest future innovators a chance to experience some of the exciting challenges that NASA engineers and scientists face on a daily basis,” said Johnson Deputy Director and four-time space shuttle astronaut Ellen Ochoa KB5TZZ. “It shows the young women that there are a variety of opportunities for them in technical fields.”
Young women participating June 24-29 will hear a first-hand account of life in space from NASA astronaut and radio amateur Shannon Walker KD5DXB. Participants July 8-13 will have a chance to speak with a current space station astronaut via ham radio as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program, a NASA educational initiative that facilitates direct links between students and astronauts.
The young women were selected based on completion of interactive, online lessons focused on space exploration and mapped to national education standards, academic merits and geographic diversity. The WISH program encourages young women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees and exposes them to the real-world applications of STEM careers at NASA. This program is in its second year. It began as a NASA accompaniment to the White House Council on Women and Girls.
For more information about WISH and a list of student participants, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/wish.html
WISH: Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars http://www.wish.aerospacescholars.org/
Source NASA http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/jun/HQ_12-209_WISH.html
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ARISS http://ariss.rac.ca/
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