ARISS
The International Space Station (ISS), now close to completion, is permanently manned by teams of astronauts, many of whom have an amateur radio licence.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a volunteer program which inspires students, worldwide, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math through amateur radio communications opportunities with the International Space Station (ISS) on-orbit crew. Students learn about life on board the ISS and explore Earth from space through science and math activities. ARISS provides opportunities for the school community (students, teachers, families and local residents) to become more aware of the substantial benefits of human spaceflight and the exploration and discovery that occur on spaceflight journeys along with learning about technology and amateur radio. ARISS-Europe is the European branch of ARISS
One of the goals of this program is to involve schools and their pupils with amateur radio. A direct contact gives pupils an opportunity to speak to ISS crew members via amateur radio and learn how the radio system works. If a school has an amateur radio station that it plans to use for a direct contact with the ISS, then the station must meet certain technical requirements that are outlined in section I of the ARISS Contact Requirements form. If a school does not have a station, then it may be able to work with a local ham radio club to have them install and operate a portable station at the school. To learn more about amateur radio and to locate an amateur radio club near you, please contact an ARISS representative.
The amateur radio station onboard the ISS comprises several units. The initial unit, a handheld VHF transceiver, is located in the Functional Cargo Block, the Zarya. The phase 2 unit is located in the Service Module, the Zvesda. This is a multiband and multimode station.
In April 2011 NASA reported that another 2 metre station had been installed in the Columbus module of the ISS. This is believed to be an Ericcson VHF Transceiver.
The onboard ARISS station offers a permanent space platform to the worldwide amateur radio community. Several operational modes are automated and used by groundstations without crew care. Cosmonauts and astronauts also use the station to contact groundbound amateur radio stations in their free time.
The Space Agencies have entrusted ARISS with the task to organise ARISS School Contacts. When a contact is scheduled, volunteering amateur satellite operators set up a groundstation in the selected school. During the ten minutes pass of the ISS, an astronaut answers the questions prepared by the students.
In its GB2RS news bulletin of 26 October 2008, the RSGB reported that Richard Garriott, W5KWQ had been extremely prolific on the ARISS amateur radio system, making hundreds of voice contacts, operating the packet system during the crew sleep times and transmitting hundreds of SSTV images throughout the day. He put the newest ARISS hardware, the Kenwood VC-H1 to good use, performing the vast majority of contacts with this hardware system coupled with the Kenwood D700 Transciever. The remaining SSTV downlinks were performed with the software-based SSTV system - using either the SpaceCam software or MMSSTV software that are on-board the ISS. Given the limited availability of ISS computer systems, the ARISS team will continue to utilize the VC-H1 well after Richard's flight. So don't be surprised if you see some VC-H1 SSTV operations from Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, during his stay as the commander of Expedition 18.
A video tour of the ISS including a visit to the on board ham radio station may be found by clicking here.
The ISS is currently planned to stay in orbit until 2015, however, there are discussions taking place about extending its life to 2020 or 2025.
To learn more about the ARISS project click here
Posted 15 May 2011 09:34:15 GMT