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 Previous: The K7VVV Solar Update |  Next: Ham Radio Rides Again Aboard the Great Circus Train |
What could be more fun than learning about Amateur Radio during school hours? Having your name etched on the inside of a satellite that orbits in space for six months while you take measurements on its orbital mechanics. These students from the Greater Houlton Christian Academy, Houlton, Maine, polished mirrors that now are on the outside of the Starshine satellite. [Pete Hurd, N1SS] |
NEWINGTON, CT, May 28,1999--Space shuttle Discovery's seven-member crew is only the second shuttle crew to visit the fledgling International Space Station (ISS), but the first to dock with it. The Discovery was set to link up with the ISS today. NASA Mission Specialists on board include Tamara Jernigan, KC5MGF, and Ellen Ochoa, KB5TZZ. Jernigan will take part in a six-hour spacewalk to attach tool bags and cranes to the outside of the ISS, and Ochoa will test the mechanical arm, on which Jernigan will be positioned during the spacewalk.
The Discovery crew of five Americans, one Russian and one Canadian is delivering two tons of spare parts, clothes and other supplies for future station residents, and fixing broken or noisy equipment.
The ISS, a 16-nation venture, was last visited in December. The two spacecraft will be docked for six days, and Discovery's landing on Earth is scheduled for June 6.
Several schools and youth groups across the US have a vested interest in this shuttle mission. Pete Hurd, N1SS, volunteer at the Greater Houlton Christian Academy and leader of Boy Scout Troop 156, in Houlton, Maine; and Wendell Salmons, AE4PD, teacher at the Lexington Traditional Magnet School, of Lexington, Kentucky, assisted students in building parts of the Starshine satellite. Starshine will be ejected into orbit from the shuttle's cargo bay next week. As the Academy Aerospace News reported, students were "riding along" on the mission--their names are etched inside Starshine. The youths fabricated some of the 900 highly-polished reflectors attached to the satellite's outer surface. Students will be able to observe Starshine for six months, learning about satellites, taking measurements and collecting data, and using WWV (see "A Role for Hams in Project Starshine: Tune to WWV, Turn On a Kid," AWE, May 11, 1999) based on lesson plans developed by Gil Moore, N7YTK.
Hams wanting to assist youths can learn how by visiting http://www.azinet.com/starshine/index.html.
Japan's NASDA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA. [Lou McFadin, W5DID] |
Among the hundreds of people on hand to witness the launch of Discovery at Cape Kennedy this week, was Japan's NASDA astronaut Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA. "Koichi has hopes of being able to operate the ham radio gear on the ISS some day," said Lou McFadin, W5DID, of the ARISS Hardware Team. It's anticipated that ISS crew members will greatly appreciate the Amateur Radio equipment aboard the space outpost during their three-month stints on ISS.
Of the 120 currently active astronauts in the US Space Program, almost half--54 in all--hold Amateur Radio licenses. And the number of "astro-hams" is expected to grow. Fifteen students (and one spouse) in the current astronaut class at NASA Johnson Space Center have expressed interest in taking the ham radio course offered by the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club, according to club member Nick Lance, KC5KBO.
Click here for brief video clips of the Discovery launch:[Lou McFadin, W5DID]
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| Previous: The K7VVV Solar Update | Next: Ham Radio Rides Again Aboard the Great Circus Train |
