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 Previous: Amateur Radio Responds Effectively to Hurricane Isabel |  Next: Jamboree On The Air 2003 is October 18-19 |
Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, floats near the torso portions of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit space suits stored in the Quest airlock of the International Space Station. [NASA Photo]
Peter Fournia, W2SKY (standing) briefs students on procedure prior to the September 10 ARISS contact from the Webster Thomas High School library. [Webster Schools Photo]
Peter Fournia, W2SKY (left) with students Kristin Mannella and Jeff Keesom at Webster school. [Webster Schools Photo]
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NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 19, 2003--It was old home week via ham radio earlier this month for NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ. Lu spoke September 4 with students at his college alma mater, Cornell University. The following week, he linked up with his old high school, Webster Thomas High School in Webster, New York, from which he graduated in 1980. In late May, Lu chatted with youngsters at Webster's Klem Road South Elementary School, which he'd attended three decades ago. All three contacts were arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program.
"The whole school was inspired by this event!" said Peter Fournia, W2SKY, who headed up the team of nine hams that set up and operated the station from the Webster Thomas High School library. "Students in the TV studio broadcast this event on the school's closed circuit TV and to the Webster Community TV channel. Every student was riveted to their classroom monitor."
Ten students got to ask questions of Lu about life aboard the ISS, and one of them asked his opinion of civilian "space tourists" who buy a trip into space.
"We don't actually have any plans whatsoever to sell seats on the space shuttle," Lu emphasized. He explained that the Russians have sold seats on their Soyuz spacecraft, "but that's a different thing altogether," he added.
Space tourists who have flown aboard the Soyuz and spent about 10 days aboard the ISS have included businessman Dennis Tito, KG6FZX, in 2001, and South African Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. Pop singer Lance Bass, KG4UYY, of the group 'N Sync had been in line to become the third--and youngest--such space tourist last fall, until arrangements with the Russian space program fell apart.
"I do think that space tourism, in general, is a good thing," Lu
went on to say, "and in the future, I think--hopefully--the price
will come down at lot, and a lot more people will get a chance to visit
space." He said he thinks that in the long run, such space tourism
will benefit space exploration by making it more commonplace and easier
to do.
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Webster students also wanted to know what skills and traits make for a good astronaut.
"One thing that being an astronaut really requires is to be adaptable," Lu said. He said this includes being able to "get by" in different situations, learn new languages and accommodate to staying in other countries.
"Getting to fly, getting to spend time in space, getting to see the earth from space and to feel like your doing something useful, not only for myself but for people around the world," are among the rewards of being an astronaut aboard the ISS, he told the high schoolers.
"It's been a great pleasure talking to everyone down there in Webster," Lu said as his signal faded.
Fournia said Jim Stefano, W2COP, fed audio of the approximately five-minute contact to IRLP and EchoLink. A technical glitch at the start of the contact resulted in a few minutes of lost time on the typical 10-minute pass. Others on the Webster ARISS team included Rocky Chambers, W2ROC, Jon Dickason, N2JAC, Jim DiTucci, N2IXD, Jim Karpick, K2TTP, Walter Obenhofer, NQ2O, Norm Turner, WB2LQB, and Ray Wartinger, W2SAX.
Fournia said everyone from the principals and teachers to the students were in high spirits after the contact. "Everyone had big smiles," he said. "The school staff and students have been electrified by this event. They were thrilled to talk to a school graduate, Ed Lu, in his office in space."
Fournia said that local TV stations and newspapers, including the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, turned out to report the event. "This was an excellent exposure to ham radio, particularly to the aspects of our hobby that appeal to young people," he said.
ARISS is an international project with support from ARRL, NASA and AMSAT.
| Previous: Amateur Radio Responds Effectively to Hurricane Isabel | Next: Jamboree On The Air 2003 is October 18-19 |
