Tag Archives: Tim Peake

Dec 14 2018

Tim Peake KG5BVI / GB1SS inspired 2 million young people

UK PM Theresa May and Tim Peake with some of the young people involved in Principia mission

UK PM Theresa May and Tim Peake with some of the young people involved in Principia mission

A new report has found more than 2 million young people in the UK engaged with education and outreach programmes linked to Tim Peake’s Principia Mission to space. The report highlights the role of ARISS and amateur radio during the mission.

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI / GB1SS

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI / GB1SS

The UK Space Agency ran a £3 million education campaign alongside the mission to the International Space Station, which blasted off three years ago tomorrow (15 December), to inspire a greater interest and understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as space.

The campaign – the largest and most successful ever organised for a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut – encompassed 34 separate projects and covered a spectrum of ages and subjects, including mass participation experiments in schools using seeds that had been in space.

The report, produced by the UK Space Agency, found one in three UK schools took part in at least one Principia activity. Every region of the UK ran school activities with all projects accessible to boys and girls. The majority of the 34 projects focused on primary school children although some went right through to university.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) logoHuman Spaceflight & Microgravity Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency Libby Jackson @LibbyJackson__ tweeted:
This report records my most memorable and most proud of professional achievement. Thank you to each and every one of the amazing team and partner organisations for what we did together along with @spacegovuk, @esa and @astro_timpeake. The impacts will be felt for many years yet.

ARISS-UK Ciaran Morgan @M0XTD tweeted:
Thank you @LibbyJackson__ and to the amazing team at @spacegovuk for choosing @ARISS_status to be part of the #Principia mission. We are proud to have taken part and to have made such an impression with so many students. Looking forward to the future!

Download the full Principia campaign report, or summary education report from
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/on-third-anniversary-of-tim-peakes-space-mission-report-reveals-over-2-million-inspired-by-education-campaign

ARISS Principia https://principia.ariss.org/

ARISS-UK videos of the Principia amateur radio contacts
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQS-yDk7PdE9cRv4MNu8pCw

May 19 2017

CQ Magazine honours Britons involved in Astro Pi project

David Honess M6DNT with both ISS Astro Pi computers

David Honess M6DNT with both ISS Astro Pi computers

Radio amateurs David Honess, M6DNT, and Tim Peake, KG5BVI / GB1SS, have been inducted into the prestigious CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.

The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honours those individuals, whether licenced radio amateurs or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet.

David Honess, M6DNT, developed the Astro Pi project which sent two Raspberry Pi computers to the International Space Station as platforms for students on Earth to write and run their own computer code in space. In November 2016 he was honored for this work with the Sir Arthur Clarke Award, presented by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and the British Interplanetary Society.

David said “I was really surprised when I heard I’d been inducted into the Hall of Fame, especially alongside Tim! Thank you to CQ magazine for the honour.”

“I’m so jealous of the kids these days, if you could have sent BBC Basic code to the Mir space station when I was kid I would have gone mad for it! Astro Pi gives young people a chance to be real ISS scientists, to have their code run in space and do something meaningful.”

Tim Peake KG5BVI training on the amateur radio station equipment he would use on the ISS

Tim Peake KG5BVI training on the amateur radio station equipment he would use on the ISS

UK astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI /GB1SS, coordinated the International Space Station end of the Astro Pi project.

Tim was very active in the ARISS program during his mission on the ISS. In his free time he used the amateur radio station in the Columbus module to talk to students at schools in the UK and around the world. These contacts included the first use of Digital Amateur Television (DATV) transmissions to schools from space.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
http://www.ariss.org/

ARISS Principia UK school contacts https://principia.ariss.org/

Videos of Tim Peake GB1SS amateur radio contacts with UK schools
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQS-yDk7PdE9cRv4MNu8pCw/videos

Astro Pi: Your Code in Space https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/tag/astro-pi/

Astro Pi https://astro-pi.org/
Twitter https://twitter.com/astro_pi
Izzy Astro Pi https://twitter.com/astro_pi_ir
Ed Astro Pi https://twitter.com/astro_pi_vis

CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_awards/cq_hall_of_fame_awards/cq_hall_of_fame_awards.html

David Honess, M6DNT, presented with Sir Arthur Clarke Award
https://amsat-uk.org/2016/11/25/radio-ham-awarded-space-achievement-honour/

Feb 20 2017

SpaceX launch ham radio transceiver to ISS

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI trained to use the Ericsson VHF transceiver for his ISS mission

UK astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI / GB1SS  trained to use the Ericsson VHF transceiver for his ISS mission

The CRS-10 mission carrying vital amateur radio equipment to the International Space Station launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1439 UT on Sunday, February 19, 2017.

Frank Bauer KA3HDO, ARISS International Chair and AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs writes:

Included as part of the successful launch of the SpaceX Dragon vehicle to ISS is an ARISS Ericsson 2 meter VHF radio.  This radio will replace the Ericsson radio that failed a few months ago.  The VHF radio is used for school group contacts and amateur packet radio in the Columbus module.  Once the Dragon vehicle is berthed to ISS, the Ericsson will be unstowed and, at some point, installed in Columbus, replacing the UHF radio that is now supporting APRS packet and some school contacts.

Our thanks to SpaceX on an outstanding and historic flight from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A, where many Space Shuttle missions  and nearly all the Apollo moon missions were launched.  We also would like to thank our ARISS benefactors-NASA and CASIS, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.  And, of course, our amateur radio long-time sponsors-our national amateur radio organizations around the world, including the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in the US, and our international AMSAT organizations, including AMSAT-NA.

Before closing, I want to let you know that ARISS is making great progress on the development of the new interoperable radio system that we hope to use to replace our aging radio infrastructure in the Columbus module and the Service module.  The hard (and expensive) part of this effort is just beginning, with testing and human certification on the horizon.  We thank all that have donated to the cause thus far.  We hope you continue to help ARISS move forward through your support, including your volunteer time and talent and, of course, financial contributions through the AMSAT web site donate button http://www.amsat.org/

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ARISS http://ariss.org/

Nov 25 2016

Radio ham awarded space achievement honour

Astro Pi Logo

Astro Pi Logo

Cornwall Live reports that radio amateur David Honess M6DNT has been awarded a prestigious space achievement honour for his Astro Pi work with the Tim Peake GB1SS Principia mission.

David Honess M6DNT was presented with a Sir Arthur Clarke Award, on behalf of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and the British Interplanetary Society, for Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual.

This came after Mr Honess and his Astro Pi project which installed two Raspberry Pi’s (Izzy and Ed) on to the International Space Station as the platform for students to run their own code in space and speak with Major Tim Peake GB1SS.

Mr Honess has been “the driving force” behind getting two UK designed and manufactured Astro Pi computers onto the International Space Station to provide a unique facility to inspire children and adults to learn to code.

Read the full story at
http://www.cornwalllive.com/west-cornwall-man-wins-award-for-space-achievement-after-project-with-tim-peake/story-29893608-detail/story.html

Sir Arthur Clarke Awards Winners
http://www.bis-space.com/2013/04/05/9719/sir-arthur-clarke-awards-winners

You can follow the two ISS Astro Pi’s Izzy and Ed at
https://twitter.com/astro_pi_ir
https://twitter.com/astro_pi_vis

AMSAT-UK https://amsat-uk.org/
Twitter https://twitter.com/AmsatUK
Facebook https://facebook.com/AmsatUK
YouTube https://youtube.com/AmsatUK

Nov 4 2016

Sandringham students’ Amateur Radio project success

Sandringham students used amateur radio to talk to Tim Peake on the ISS

Sandringham students used amateur radio to talk to Tim Peake GB1SS on the ISS

The Watford Observer newspaper reports that Sandringham School students’ amateur radio communication project gave them the opportunity to visit the UK Parliament at Westminster.

The Observer says: Four students from a St Albans school showed off their engineering prowess to politicians, policy makers and businesses in Parliament.

The Year 9 and 11 students from Sandringham School, on The Ridgeway – Sandy Cairns, Polly Gupta M6POG, Stanley MacMurray and Emma Wilkinson M6GJQ – were invited to the event on Monday [Oct 31] after impressing judges with their engineering project at the regional heats of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition

Their amateur radio communication project saw them set up a radio to speak with Tim Peake while he was aboard the International Space Station.

Rhian Kazwini, Head of Science at Sandringham School, said: “Entering the competition has been great fun and given the team an idea of just how interesting a career in engineering could be.”

Read the full story at http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/stalbans/14842162.St_Albans_students__space_chat_with_astronaut_Tim_Peake_earns_them_trip_to_Parliament/

In January 2016 students at Sandringham School used amateur radio to talk to UK astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS on the International Space Station watch the video at https://amsat-uk.org/2016/01/09/video-tim-peake-sandringham/

What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio

Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/

A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see
http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-radio-2/

Sep 10 2016

Inspiring the next STEM generation

Susan Buckle UK Space Agency

Susan Buckle UK Space Agency

The UK Space Agency’s Astronaut Flight Education Programme Support Manager Susan Buckle will be giving a presentation at the RSGB Convention on Saturday, October 8.

Along with Ciaran Morgan M0XTD she will talk about the ten UK ARISS amateur radio school contacts with astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS during his Principia mission on the International Space Station.

These contacts have inspired thousands of young people and introduced them to amateur radio in a new and exciting way.

The full schedule and booking information for the convention are available at http://rsgb.org/convention Twitter hashtag #RSGBconv2016

An RSGB video celebrates these historic school contacts and the range of linked activities the schools have enjoyed.

Beginning with the exhilaration of the launch, it follows the competition for schools to host the ARISS contacts, and showcases the variety of science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and arts activities that helped pupils to understand more about space and amateur radio.

The contacts themselves, often led by newly-licensed pupils, were the successful culmination of many months of work and anticipation.

Watch GB1SS: schools speaking to Tim Peake

ARISS Principia https://principia.ariss.org/

What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio

Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/

A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see
http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-radio-2/