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 Previous: Of Hoppers and Headphones |  Next: League Promotes Membership, Aids AARE at SuperFest |
 A student asks her question as John Heath, G7HIA, handles the controls at GB2NSC. |
 Participating Rushey Mead Secondary School students surround John Heath at GB2NSC. |
 Rushey Mead students and a teacher track the position of the ISS on a 12-foot-wide screen at the National Science Centre. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 7, 2003--Youngsters from Rushey Mead Secondary School in the United Kingdom gathered at the National Space Centre in Leicester April 4 for a quick ham radio chat with Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP. The contact was arranged via the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Students participating from the comprehensive secondary school ranged in age from 11 to 16. The school also has its own Amateur Radio Club. John Heath, G7HIA, operated the National Space Centre's GB2NSC club station for the occasion.
"Space is beautiful," Bowersox rhapsodized in response to one youngster's question. "It's black with the stars dotting everywhere." The Expedition 6 crew commander said the space station occupants don't have TV to watch for entertainment. "We look out the window at the earth," he said. When they tire of that, there are CDs and books aboard.
Bowersox noted that he has wanted to be an astronaut since he was seven years old and trained five years for his current mission. Answering an oft-asked question about how the crew keeps clean in space, Bowersox explained that the astronauts and cosmonauts used towels moistened with soap and water to wash themselves.
In all, 12 youngsters put questions to Bowersox during the direct ARISS contact that ran under five minutes compared to the usual 10 minutes, although the ISS remained in nominal range for the full period. ARISS Vice Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, speculated that the problem may have been a result of having to arrange the contact on short notice and not having optimal Earth-station antennas in place. NSC Amateur Radio Club President Andy Thomas, G0SFJ, later shared some of the excitement of the ham radio space chat during a radio broadcast interview. Parents of the youngsters and several teachers--as well as members of the news media--were on hand for the occasion.
On April 8, the crew will be involved in a space walk to reconfigure some power connections, provide a second power source for a gyroscope and secure thermal covers on some quick-disconnect fittings, among other tasks.
Howard Long, G6LVB, offers audio and video recordings of the event and additional photos on his Web site.
ARISS is an international project with support from ARRL, AMSAT and
NASA.--some
information from Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
| Previous: Of Hoppers and Headphones | Next: League Promotes Membership, Aids AARE at SuperFest |
